I'm not that smart, and I'm hammered. Take this rant for what it's worth...

[cherokeeprogressive]

Things ain't getting better any time soon. Tomorrow, the stock markets will open and dive, dive, dive. Millions of people will lose billions of dollars. 401k's will shrink like grapes turning into raisins. Union members whose retirement funds are invested in the stock market will get fucked, anally, without the benefit of even a dab of Analube. On the other hand, thousands of people will cheer their loss, thinking they're cheering The Man's toe getting stubbed. Stick it to the Man!

We'll ALL lose tomorrow, like it or not. Tomorrow, the new unemployment numbers will be released, and they will be a lie. They'll be overly optimistic, politically driven, and fudged. This is going to happen until at least October of 2012, guaranteed. The All-or-Nothing Club members will be here telling us that we should piss on our own legs and pretend it's raining because He's Barack Obama and to posit that things might have been better if he weren't elected would be a wholly racist point of view.

To think for a moment that Barack Obama and the policies of those people he appointed are now responsible for our dire economic situation is racist. Fuck the fact that they've been holding the reins for over two years. That's what his stongest supporters toss out in order to stem the tide of criticism. Love Barack Obama or you are a racist. It's time for us to put that meme to bed.

I'm going to stand up here and now and say that Barack Obama wasn't the Right Man for the Job. Damn but he's good lookin', FUCK! did you hear his speech?, Whoa! His daughters are SOOOO pretty, WOW, did you see that dress Michelle wore today at the fundraiser? Didn't you just swoon when he spoke tonight? None of those things add up to good governance.

In the meantime, the country's future gets dimmer and dimmer, and those who think Barack Obama isn't helping to are simply racists.

It pains me no end to think that I'm voting for a man in 2012 whose biggest hope for the future is simply to be re-elected.

Michelle sent me an email today asking me to wish Barack Happy Birthday. She called me by my first name, as if she knew me. Then she asked me for money.

I think I'll go to bed now...

[noise]

1. I haven't noticed this as a main defense

For sure some teabaggers/GOP have an issue with race. For Democratic voters the issue is disillusionment. The main defense I've seen is "Oh but Palin/Perry/Bachmann would be so much worse."

[Tallulah]

2. I'll drink to that !

I'm hurting too. Whiskey ain't cutting it.

[Tx4obama]

3. I just think it is very unfair to expect Obama to pull us out of the mess .....

in two and a half years - which took Bush and the Republicans EIGHT YEARS to create.

Anyone that paid attention to what Obama said SEVERAL times during the 2008 campaign would know that 'it was not going to be easy' and that 'it would take time'.

Bottom line, I am not going to abandon the President at this juncture just because it's getting tough.
He told us that it would get tough, and I intend to continue to support him.

[noise]

4. His conduct in office has made the task much more difficult

Your post implies that he has made a good faith effort to move the country in a better direction. This analysis does not track with President Obama's record in office...at all.

[Tx4obama]

5. Please list examples of what he could have done differently without having 60 dems in the Senate....

the first two years, and without the dems having control of the House the past seven months.

You do realize that in Obama's first two years in office the democrats had 60 democrats in the Senate for ONLY 49 DAY, right?

With all the GOP obstruction NOTHING gets done in the Senate without the 60 votes needed for cloture on all bills
and just about all administrative and judicial nominations.

In my opinion, President Obama has done EVERYTHING within his power to move the country in the correct direction - but it has been F'd up by the Republicans.

Hell the GOP House won't even allow the Senate to go into recess because they don't want Obama to make any recess appointments.

Obama's hand are being tied.

Folks need to be BLAMING THE REPUBLICANS, that is where the blame lies.

[noise]

7. He could have vetoed every awful Shock Doctrine bill

He could have forced Congress to override the veto.

He could have let the DOJ enforce the law instead of calling for some absurd "lets move on" nonsense.

[Tx4obama]

8. Please list the bills you think Obama should have veto'd.

Edited to add:
And keep in mind that the reason Obama signed the extension for the Bush tax cuts was because the GOP was holding the Extension for Unemployment Benefits hostage.
And the GOP was holding the lifting of the Debt Ceiling hostage.
And the GOP voted to DEFUND the closure of GITMO and the moving of the detainees.
Etc, etc, etc.

I'm listening.

[noise]

9. Please explain why you hold the President

to such a low standard of conduct. Does he deserve any blame?

[Tx4obama]

19. Are you talking of 'conduct' or of 'policy'?

There is absolutely NOTHING wrong with President Obama's 'conduct'.

[aquart]

10. It is and I do.

But I also blame Obama who had the 14th amendment and failed to use it.

[SusanaMontana41]

24. I'm with you on that. Also, why didn't he take McConnell's offer of a clean raise?

Why did he offer the Big Three for chopping?

Why? Why? WHY!

[GoCubsGo]

27. McConnell's offer never would have passed in the House.

Not with all those lunatic teabaggers. Trying to get it through there would have been a huge waste of time we didn't have.

[McCamy Taylor]

11. I was appalled that Biden and McConnell had to get together to sort out the budget impass.

Joe Biden is now the voice of reason in the WH? Obama sold himself as a great negotiator, who could bring together both sides,. The reality is that he is inexperienced and weak and the GOP knows it. The stunt they pulled with the Wa Post, claiming that it was Obama who wants to gut Medicare and Social Security and not the House which voted for the Ryan Plan---the man should have been on national television the very next day angrily denying it. Now, the press is all about "Obama wants to destroy Social Security." I know school boards members who have more political finesse than he has.

That's my rant. Not drunk. Where the hell is LBJ when we need him? You know what would have happened with the Civil Rights Act is Obama had been president? They would have worked out a compromise which would only force half of the nation's Blacks to return to slavery, and Obama would have called it a "victory for bipartisanship".

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. He could have - SHOULD HAVE - pardoned Don Seigelman

http://donsiegelman.org/

[BillyJack]

16. +1

[Tx4obama]

18. Please explain what 'conduct' do you have a problem with.

The BS that the GOP has been talking about?
The GOP has bashed Obama for not wearing a jacket in the Oval Office.
The GOP has bashed Obama for putting his feet on his desk in the Oval Office.
The GOP has bashed Obama for taking time off to play golf.
Etc.
These 'acts of conduct' have all been done by previous democratic and republican presidents in the past.

[JeffR]

6. The first four words of your OP title are a brilliant observation.

Well done. Have another one for the road. Your sudden lucidity is long overdue.

[Forkboy]

12. My, you're in a pleasant mood tonight.

[JeffR]

17. That happens when I slum it over here, which is very rare now.

I do keep current on your posts, though, even if I sometimes disagree, and I hope you're well. Take care of yourself, and I hope the world does the same for you.

[Forkboy]

20. There won't be anything to keep current on anymore.

DU is indeed slumming it, and that's how they want it. I can see that tonight.

Peace,
Steve

[JeffR]

21. On that, as on some other topics, I agree with you.

We probably disagree on finding a way out, but as to how you've defined the issue, I'm generally aligned with you, other than perhaps on some of the particulars.

[McCamy Taylor]

13. I am THAT smart, and the only reason I support Obama anymore is because the incumbent has a big

advantage in a presidential election. That is the ONLY reason I still support him. The minute he loses that and becomes a liability to the party rather than an asset, I will start looking for a viable candidate. I am a lifelong Democrat. I do not support candidates who are poison for the party.

[JeffR]

15. I'm not a lifelong Democrat, personally.

I'm a lifelong socialist, and after years of soul searching became a registered Democrat only to have a voice in primary elections as well as general.

And no, sorry, but I read your OPs, and there doesn't seem to be anything especially smart about your opinions. Quite the opposite, often enough.

[JeffR]

22. And on second thought, I'd wager that the OP is a helluva lot smarter than you.

And usually way less prolix in the bargain. Maybe you can post 50,000 words or so as to why you disagree.

[Amonester]

23. Take your good battles at the (hopefully) most effective place

AND at the (hopefully) most effective time. Starting October 6, 2011, on Freedom Plaza, D.C.: http://october2011.org/freedomplaza

Or support it if you cannot be there in person.

DU is great fun, but somewhat not that effective (looks more like a circling firing-squad sometimes, which is far from producing any real effectiveness!).

[SusanaMontana41]

25. Wish I could think and type that well when hammered ... n/t

[cali]

26. this is just revolting. and yes, not very smart. Why the fuck even bring race into it?

I find that quite interesting. And I've criticized him regularly and NEVER been called a racist by his supporters.

[mmonk]

28. Seems to me you are smart enough.

Not many have called me racist for calling out his policies though. Maybe a very few.

[SidDithers]

29. Alcohol reveals the truth about the drinker...

Just like it did for Mel Gibson.

Sid

[Pooka Fey]

30. Pour me a shot of Jack, Cherokeeprogressive

:hug:

Just for the record, the times when I've seen the "You just don't like him because he's Black" argument trotted out as a response to criticism to Obama's Rightwing policies, I've noticed that most posters just ignore it. Which I think is the best response. On one thread, this tactic got one brilliant response "Nice Try", and then everyone else just ignored it. I haven't seen all the threads on DU, however. Peace.