Optimistic like it is the 1990s -- Thank you to a great President, so far...

[Change Happens]

Some background: needless to say my family and I were miserable during the Bush years, I lost my job and health insurance, we had a sub-prime adjustable rate mortgage...Things were pretty ugly for sure, we also opposed the wars, watched our 401K accounts go down more than 50%...etc.

Then we elected President Obama!

Since then, the administration decided to help homeowners like us, bought up some bad mortgages, lowering interest rates for everyone, we took advantage and refinanced at a 4.75% fixed interest rate, lowering our payment by $700.00 a month. Soon after, various tax credits were offered for buying a new car, so we did! The saving on the house payment allowed us to buy a new Hybrid: got tax breaks on the sales tax (part of the President's stimulus) and a tax break for buying a Hybrid.

Thank you Mr. President!

My wife and I decided to grow our small business to compensate for the loss of my income: Last year was the BEST YEAR EVER for our small business, we hired two additional people!

Thank you Mr. President!

We had to buy a shitty health insurance policy in the individual market, the policy has a very high deductible and of course a bunch of limits, this worried me to no end. I kept thinking we were one major illness away from bankruptcy: today, the newly signed health care bill removes the limits on our insurance policy, we are no longer threatened by a major illness...Furthermore, my now eight year old daughter can stay on this policy until age 26! AND, she can never be dropped if she gets sick!

Thank you Mr. President!

I rolled my 401K money into an IRA after I lost my job, watched it lose half its value, but kept putting money into it as the markets went down...etc. As of last night, our portfolio is up 7% - UP 7% - meaning it came all the way back plus!!!

Thank you Mr. President!

This week, I watched our great President host an incredibly historic summit of over 45 world leaders to rid the world of Nuclear weapons!

Thank you Mr. President!

Last night, I watched a local election here in South Florida, where the Democrat beat out a puke by a margin of 2-1.

I saw reports that our bases in Iraq are already 40% evacuated because we are on track to get the hell out of there! Seems like we will soon do the same in Afghanistan (or at least we are not about to escalate the conflict there anymore than we already did).

Thank you Mr. President!

Retail sales were way up on a report this morning, inflation is no were to be found, people are getting more and more optimistic...etc.

Soon, the Bush tax cuts will expire, which in my opinion, will help the overall economy and allow us to pay down some of the debt...

Overall, I want everyone to know that I haven't felt this optimistic about things for about 15 years or so, I remember feeling the same way during the Clinton years and It feels pretty damn good.

I know many people are still struggling, but it feels 1000% better than it did two or five years ago!

I am betting on this country, this President, and our progressive majority to keep the momentum moving forward.



:dem:

[zipplewrath]

1. Wow!

Talk about spin:

" saw reports that our bases in Iraq are already 40% evacuated because we are on track to get the hell out of there! Seems like we will soon do the same in Afghanistan (or at least we are not about to escalate the conflict there anymore than we already did).

Thank you Mr. President!

The forces are complying with the SOFA arranged by Bush, so I'm a tad curious which president you are thanking. And you are anticipating that we will "soon do the same in Afghanistan". Right after we get done with the Afghan surge right? And considering Karzi, I'm not sure where this optimism comes from. It could be years before we are out of there, like 8 years.

And don't forget that the '90s optimism resulted in the dot com bust.

[Name removed]

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[impik]

4. No, SOFA did not call to end the war in August 2010. Obama did

[zipplewrath]

10. Not exactly

It establishes that U.S. combat forces will withdraw from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, and all U.S. forces will be completely out of Iraq by December 31, 2011, subject to possible further negotiations which could delay withdrawal and a referendum scheduled for mid-2009 in Iraq which may require U.S. forces to completely leave by the middle of 2010.


"Mr. Obama, acknowledging "difficult days ahead" as the U.S. acts to give Iraqis full responsibility with the aim of a "sovereign, stable and self-reliant" country, said that up to 50,000 troops would remain after the deadline to train, equip and advise Iraqi security forces and conduct counterterrorism missions. ".

50,000 ain't zero in anyone's math. The question is will they be gone by 2011.

[ClarkUSA]

15. Split hairs all you want but the fact stands that President Obama is ending both BushCo wars.

"Obama sets firm date to end Iraq war he inherited"
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../obama-to-pull-substantial_n_170496.html

Afghanistan war "July 2011 withdraw date called 'firm'"
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/70799-july-2011-withdraw-date-called-firm

:)

[Change Happens]

20. Yes, he is and reasonable people know it!

[ClarkUSA]

22. Yes. We. Do.

:fistbump:

[zipplewrath]

27. It you call escalating "ending"

He is winding down the Iraq war on Bush's schedule, and he escalated in Afghanistan. If you wanna move those goal post like that, fine. But if Bush was doing the exact same thing, you wouldn't call it "ending".

[ClarkUSA]

30. I call establishing a firm July 2011 timeline for troop withdrawal ending the Afghanistan war.

He kept his campaign promise to shift the focus from Iraq to Afghanistan and anyone who is outraged about it now who voted for him in 2008 must not have done their homework or is deliberately ignoring the facts. Then there are those who didn't vote for him who are outraged...

[zipplewrath]

31. Which of course wasn't the topic

Nice bit of topic shifting there. The OP was crediting him for "ending" the war and it is a long way from being done, and in fact he has escalated it. Neither war has ended, and he has doubled down in afghanistan. Maybe that is "ending" in your book, but by most measures he's "escalated" it.

[ClarkUSA]

34. The topic was your hair-splitting about one sentence in the OP.

The OP said:

"I saw reports that our bases in Iraq are already 40% evacuated because we are on track to get the hell out of there! Seems like we will soon do the same in Afghanistan (or at least we are not about to escalate the conflict there anymore than we already did)."

There's nothing that the OP has said that is false. President Obama has ended the war in Iraq for all intensive purposes and will soon do so in Afghanistan, present conditions on the ground notwithstanding. Your determination not to look at the whole picture is amusing.

[zipplewrath]

37. It's not false, just Orwellian

He isn't "ending" anything, other than executing the SOFA agreement. And he DEFINITELY isn't ending anything in Afghanistan.

[ClarkUSA]

43. Prove it. Provide a quote from the OP. Otherwise, it's a strawman argument. n/t

[frylock]

13. and when the war doesn't end in august 2010?

???

[ClarkUSA]

16. What's the point of spinning our wheels on hypotheticals? Gates has said the timeline is firm...

... unless you have credible information otherwise?

:shrug:

[zipplewrath]

28. How about fact?

The 2010 target is 50,000 troops. You think they are there to wash the trucks down?

[ClarkUSA]

32. Fact: Combat mission in Iraq ends by August 2010; up to 50K troops to remain through 2011

Obama Sets Targets For Iraq Withdrawal
Combat Mission To End By August, 2010; Up To 50,000 To Remain Through 2011

Senior Obama administration officials had said earlier that of the roughly 100,000 U.S. combat troops to be pulled out of Iraq over the next 18 months, most will remain in the war zone through at least the end of this year to ensure national elections there go smoothly.

The pace of withdrawal means that although the pullout will start soon, it will be backloaded, with most troops returning in the last few months of the time frame... The residual troop force will have three missions, reports CBS News chief White House correspondent chip Reid: To train and advise Iraqi forces; to protect the civilian population; and to conduct operations against suspected terrorists.

In any case, all U.S. troops must be out of Iraq by Dec. 31, 2011. That's the deadline set under an agreement the two countries... Mr. Obama has no plans to extend that date or pursue any permanent troop presence in Iraq.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/02/27/politics/100days/iraqafghanistan/main4833153.shtml

[zipplewrath]

33. Right 50k until the Bush SOFA ends

As I said. We're there through the duration of Bush negotiated SOFA. How that is "ending Bush's war" is beyond me.

[ClarkUSA]

35. You're spinning like a top. First you reply to me re: the futility of hypotheticals...

... by dismissively mentioning the 50K troops and asking me in a snarky manner whether I thought they were there to wash trucks as if they really are there to keep the war going as the poster "frylock" who posed the hypothetical in Reply #13 feared:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=433&topic_id=268907&mesg_id=269487

Then you don't want to give Obama credit for ending BushCo's war in Iraq just as he said he would, thanks to a copycat assist by Bush and approval by Maliki after Obama got elected (remember, Maliki very loudly and publicly agreed to candidate Obama's timeline for withdrawal idea during the general election, much to the RNC's dismay).

SOFA does exactly what Obama said he wanted done on the campaign trail. Was that a coincidence or was it a lame attempt to try to step on President-Elect Obama's toes by claiming credit for what was Candidate Obama's idea? I recall candidate Obama pointing out the "sincere flattery" motive for the SOFA proposal during speeches on the campaign trail. He would crack, "I'm glad President Bush is listening to me." His supporters in the audience laughed. We got it.

BTW, he's ending the war in Afghanistan, too. :)

[zipplewrath]

38. Credit where credit is due

The whole point here is to give credit where credit is due. Bush negotiated that SOFA and somehow suddenly it becomes a "positive" Obama accomplishment. Now we have an explanation that somehow Obama was dictating to Bush. Yeah, right, Iraq demanding this time table had nothing to do with it. And somehow expanding a war in Afghanistan becomes "ending" a war. That's some Orwellian language there.

[ClarkUSA]

42. That's right. Funny how SOFA hewed to Candidate Obama's ideas, eh? So much so he joked about it...

... on the campaign trail.

<<Now we have an explanation that somehow Obama was dictating to Bush.>>

There you go again. Who said "Obama was dictating to Bush"? Not I.

<< Yeah, right, Iraq demanding this time table had nothing to do with it.>>

And you know this how? When Maliki loudly, publicly, endorsed Candidate Obama's timeline after Republicans panned it, it caused quite a quandry for BushCo, who had said all along that they would only stay as long as the government wanted them to be there. Checkmate, Obama. :)

<<And somehow expanding a war in Afghanistan becomes "ending" a war. That's some Orwellian language there.>>

The 2011 timeline to end the Afghanistan and Iraq wars is a fact, not "Orwellian language".

[zipplewrath]

47. No, it's a Bush accomplishment

"The 2011 timeline to end the Afghanistan and Iraq wars is a fact, not "Orwellian language".

No it's a Bush accomplishment.

[Name removed]

48. Deleted sub-thread

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[ClarkUSA]

57. How so? Bush copycatted Obama's timeline because PM Maliki publicly insisted he wanted it...

... thus Bush was cornered in a policy checkmate, thanks to Candidate Obama.

Maliki's very public approval of Candidate Obama's timeline forced BushCo to follow through with their oft-repeated declaration that U.S. forces would only stay as long as the duly-elected Iraqi government wanted the troops to stay.

Thus, SOFA would never had happened had not Candidate Obama gotten Maliki to loudly approve of his timeline enough for the latter to publicly agitate BushCo for said timeline.

Ultimately, getting the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan is President Obama 's accomplishment and I'm sure presidential historians see it that way, too.

:)

[mkultra]

53. the job of the executive is to execute

which you admitted up thread is occurring. Its an accomplishment for Obama which may or may not have been faithfully carried out by McCain. A proposal that followed a proposal stated in campaign by obama and formatted by the Iraqis.

The only one here spinning is you. Take it to FR.

[dmallind]

7. ..and the dot com bust still left the market at 3X where Clinton found it

And still left us with 20+M new jobs and still left us with higher median incomes and lower poverty rates. Oh The pain of the 1990s! The horrors we would dread to see again!

[zipplewrath]

11. Don't wanna over cook again

I don't mind a stable recovery, but I don't need another major boom and bust cycle in the next 10 years. I've now lived through 2.

[ClarkUSA]

17. The OP is giving an uplifting personal testimonial and you're picking apart one sentence?

The point is, President Obama kept his campaign promise to end both BushCo wars by next year.

[zipplewrath]

29. It's called "discussion"

I'm not exactly "picking it apart" as much as pointing out that it doesn't really support the premise. And that point is that he hasn't "kept" anything yet because he hasn't done it yet. Both wars are in danger of being extended depending upon certain outcomes.

[ClarkUSA]

36. Uh huh. However, nothing that the OP said was false, so your attacks were and are unwarranted.

<<Both wars are in danger of being extended depending upon certain outcomes.>>

Um, that's what "conditions-based withdrawal" means although the word "danger" is a bit overwrought. So far, there is zero indication of this happening.

[zipplewrath]

39. Representing escalating as ending?

If Bush did such a thing we'd scream. Somehow we've managed to become Orwellian in our language now that Obama is president.

[ClarkUSA]

41. Who did that? Quote? Strawman arguments don't stand up to scrutiny well, you see. n/t

[zipplewrath]

46. The OP

"I saw reports that our bases in Iraq are already 40% evacuated because we are on track to get the hell out of there! Seems like we will soon do the same in Afghanistan (or at least we are not about to escalate the conflict there anymore than we already did)."

For this he "thanked" Obama. He thanked him for executing the SOFA and for "seem like we will soon do the same in Afghanistan". Think about that for just a second. He thanked him for what it "seems" like he'll "soon do" which in effect is the exact opposite of what he ACTUALLY did. And thanking Obama for the SOFA is like thanking him for social security or something.

Look, either Obama has done ACTUAL things worth thanking (and the list had several) or he hasn't. But over reaching merely devalues anything he HAS accomplished and distorts what he hasn't done, or has done that doesn't deserve admiration.

[ClarkUSA]

49. You claimed that the OP was "Representing escalating as ending" in Reply #39, which is false.

As your quote shows, the OP does not mention "ending" the war at all. Everything he said is factually true.

[Name removed]

51. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

55. Deleted message

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[Dawgs]

2. This is a great thread to list all of the good we've gotten (so far) from President Obama.

Here's mine.

My company was doing well before Obama become President, but not great. We were all scared once the economy started to tank at the end of 2008.

We had our best year and half since the Obama took office, and it was because of the stimulus. I worked there since 98', so I know what bad feels like for my industry; which is an equipment manufacturer for the water and wastewater industries.

After 911 our industry took a big hit because water and wastewater companies were more concerned about safety than our type of monitoring equipment. It was really hard.

We were looking at the same thing during the most recent recession until the Democrats passed the stimulus bill. You see, they added monies for water and wastewater projects; which gave my company the best year of its 25 year life.

Thank you Mr. President!

[Name removed]

5. Deleted message

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[babylonsister]

8. How is someone relaying their personal experiences kool-aid?

Do tell.

[Change Happens]

21. WOW! I missed what he/she said?

[babylonsister]

23. Nah, you didn't miss a thing. Nice post! nt

[progressoid]

9. buh bye

[quiet.american]

6. K&R nt

[Phx_Dem]

12. Well said, and ditto!

[PatSeg]

14. Thank you for sharing

There are still a lot of problems out there, but it is good to take notice of the positive changes this past year.

[Lilyeye]

18. There is still so much that needs to be done, but I am glad things are working out for you!

[kimmerspixelated]

19. YESYESYES!!!

Thank you for this post! It needs to be broadcasted to all the teabaggers! I have noticed that business seems to have picked up in most places! That's got to be a great sign!

LEt's all keep it postive!!!

[treestar]

44. Business is picking up

It was horrid in mid 2009. Very slow.

[girl gone mad]

24. Mindless proaganda.

That's what your post reminds me of.

[Change Happens]

25. This is how my life has been impacted, propaganda from me to me?

everything I mentioned is what I have experienced...

[Number23]

40. Ignore her. If your post had been full of "Obama has FAILED me!!one" whining

she'd be hailing you for speaking "trooth to powa."

[treestar]

45. It is a personal story, so how can that be propaganda?

I don't understand your investment in misery.

[JTFrog]

52. .

[mkultra]

56. but wild yelps of baseless smear would have brought your cheer

sounds like you are the propaganda artist here.

[handmade34]

26. I am happy for you...

and I am thankful for President Obama and for what he is doing and how he is doing it.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

50. even if all of this isn't true -- it could have been - send this post

directly to the WH instructing them to send it to their PR people (if they have any)

we have done a shitty job talking about the good things. we have let the crazy wingnuts define the conversation - and, as usual, they are winning the pr and reaching critical mass on crazy, anti-government scare.

[paulk]

54. how wonderful for you

the "recovery" has yet to have any impact on my life. We're cashing in our last 401k this month, so that we won't have any savings and can qualify for food stamps - I guess I'm glad it's worth more than it was a year ago.