The first black president in American history and he isn't going to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg Address. That's got to be minus something.

I guess there's just too much golf out there to play.

11/18/2013 6:57:51 PM

Frankly, I wasn't a fan of the Gettysburg address either

11/18/2013 7:14:11 PM

Round numbers are more meaningful

11/18/2013 10:57:48 PM

for rjrumfel

Quote :

"Michael Grunwald @MikeGrunwald There goes Obama, desecrating Gettysburg, acting like he's Lincoln, trying to distract...what? Sorry, get me the no-go talking points."

11/19/2013 12:17:08 PM

Who gives a shit about Obama visiting Gettysburg?

11/19/2013 12:26:58 PM

Michael Grunwald and rjrumfel.

[Edited on November 19, 2013 at 12:30 PM. Reason : at least those two]

11/19/2013 12:30:18 PM

37% approval rating.

11/20/2013 7:04:42 AM

nope thats wrong

11/20/2013 4:27:05 PM

Wrong? Do you think its better or worse than 37%

11/20/2013 6:38:58 PM

Yuuuuup

(I actually thought it was lower, I thought his rating was 37% for young people)

11/20/2013 7:33:57 PM

nope, its way higher than that.

i can also confirm the state employee benefits plan premiums and deductibles literally doubled for 2014.

i hope it hits the fan in jan. i hope the rate shock causes riots.

i hope young healthy people all elect to just pay the penalty.

that is all-

(obamas approval rating is in the mid 40s)

11/20/2013 10:05:23 PM

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-250_162-57613067/poll-obamacare-support-obama-approval-sink-to-new-lows/

11/20/2013 11:29:42 PM

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/nov/20/obama-approval-rating-sinks-37-percent/

37 is the new mid 40s

Quote :

"President Obama’s approval rating has sunk to 37 percent in a new poll released Wednesday — the lowest of his presidency — and his disapproval rate is at 57 percent, a new high for him in CBS News polls. "

11/21/2013 7:38:46 AM

Shut the fuck up you dumb cunt-

Its in the 40s.

Obama cannot possibly be in the 30s.

Also educators at my school who were marching about lovely obamacare, the same educators also marching about our pathetic pay, are definitely paying double for the same benefits in 2014.

This country is spectacular and I wont have you besmirching that.

11/21/2013 12:23:39 PM

its in the 30's

11/21/2013 12:30:17 PM

Well how can that be?

11/21/2013 12:45:22 PM

when the polled people and calculated the approval percentage it was 37% (a percentage is an amount or rate per 100 of something)

11/21/2013 1:16:13 PM

This willy guy doesn't understand math.

11/21/2013 7:40:43 PM

Do you understand what it means to be facetious?



No, I'm a well known Obama defender around here.

11/21/2013 7:53:23 PM

He deserves it for abysmal handling of the Snowden leaks and the atrocity that is our current (lack of?) drone policy.

Those are areas where you say screw the committees and take an ideological stand. C'mon OBamA!!!

11/22/2013 4:29:22 PM

Quote :

"In other words, be a dictator"

11/22/2013 7:03:31 PM

Have to give credit to the administration for working with Iran. I have no doubt that a President McCain would have escalated the situation.

It's not enough, and it shouldn't stop here, but it's something.

[Edited on November 23, 2013 at 11:31 PM. Reason : ]

11/23/2013 11:30:35 PM

McCain would have escalated? What makes you think that?

*bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran*

11/24/2013 12:10:24 AM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2013/11/15/five-key-questions-and-answers-about-the-leaked-tpp-text/

11/25/2013 4:48:03 PM

It's really not cool for Obama to be on an inequality speech series now when things have been worse under his watch than under any other modern president (and only some of those things can be blamed on Republicans). Seriously not cool.

-100 points

12/5/2013 10:38:42 AM

Quote :

"when things have been worse under his watch than under any other modern president"

Not for lack of trying...

12/5/2013 11:49:41 AM

he tried pretty hard to fight for ACA, and ACA is terrible for our generation. By capping the spending ratio at 1:3, it requires young people to subsidize the costs of older people who make 24% more. This is not actuarially justified, the spending difference is actually 1:6. Its taking money from people who don't have any, and using it to pay for people who have 24% more.

This is just one example. Obama has failed at reducing inequality more than any other modern president.

[Edited on December 5, 2013 at 11:55 AM. Reason : .]

12/5/2013 11:53:13 AM

Quote :

"Obama has failed at reducing inequality more than any other modern president. "

hahahahahaha that's hilarious

12/5/2013 11:58:54 AM

yeah, its pretty sad

compare median and average wage growth. if average wages grow faster than the median, then it means that lower wage people are falling behind and inequality is growing (does that make sense to you? think about the difference in what median and average area).

2001-2008 that ratio grew by 0.8% per year, in 2009-2011 that ratio grew by 1.1%

[Edited on December 5, 2013 at 12:04 PM. Reason : .]

12/5/2013 11:59:56 AM

I haven't actually read the speech in its entirety, but was there really anything concrete in there? All the excerpts and articles I've read just seemed like the same general platitudes Obama has been repeating since he was elected. Pretty unimpressive really.

12/5/2013 12:12:05 PM

It's actually kind of the opposite from what he used to say, remember his New Nationalism speech of 2011?

12/5/2013 12:24:09 PM

^lol [no]

[Edited on December 5, 2013 at 12:28 PM. Reason : googling right now tho]

12/5/2013 12:27:56 PM

you don't think

2011: everything was great, rise of middle class, values, more values, coca-cola

to

2013: we can't look back through rose-colored glasses, it wasn't that great

is a change?

12/5/2013 12:31:50 PM

Quote :

"yeah, its pretty sad compare median and average wage growth. if average wages grow faster than the median, then it means that lower wage people are falling behind and inequality is growing (does that make sense to you? think about the difference in what median and average area). 2001-2008 that ratio grew by 0.8% per year, in 2009-2011 that ratio grew by 1.1% "

If I were to guess, i'd say that correlates with the economic recovery.

Inequality is pretty horrible now, republicans don't really care though. They won't go for a change in tax policy, and they wouldn't go for something like fixing executive pay to a ratio or worker pay either.

There seems to be plenty of obvious progressive answers to that question, but until conservatives start talking about inequality, we'll never see any changes.

Are there even conservative solutions, other than deregulation (which obviously won't help)?

12/5/2013 12:36:04 PM

our tax policy has gotten worse, and you can argue that this is because of republicans (and you would be right), but you can't say that Obama wasn't responsible for ACA which will majorly redistribute wealth upwards

12/5/2013 12:37:22 PM

ACA is regressive in favor of older people, but those $$$ can't be more than just a blip to the issue of stagnant wages for the lower classes.

The more that gap continues to grow (and it's been growing for decades), the more you're going to see protests like at walmart and for fast food pay. People get antsy when they see their companies making billions, when CEOs and owners make billions, and they're being told to seek public assistance (and republicans should be pissed companies are raking in record profits while their workers suck at the government teat).

Either the Right really are just corporate shills, or they are trying to foment class warfare by letting poor people get ground into the dirt.

12/5/2013 12:48:58 PM

Quote :

"Millennials Abandon Obama and Obamacare A majority of America's youngest adults would vote to recall the president. Young Americans are turning against Barack Obama and Obamacare, according to a new survey of millennials, people between the ages of 18 and 29 who are vital to the fortunes of the president and his signature health care law. The most startling finding of Harvard University's Institute of Politics: A majority of Americans under age 25--the youngest millennials--would favor throwing Obama out of office."

http://www.nationaljournal.com/politics/millennials-abandon-obama-and-obamacare-20131204

- 100 pts?

12/5/2013 12:51:09 PM

What kind of people think the entirety of Congress should be fired? I get that they're generally fucking up supremely as a singular body, but fire every single one of them?

12/5/2013 12:59:22 PM

Well, a fresh start can be a good thing. Wipe that slate 100% clean. And then institute term limits and remove their ability to increase their own pay.

12/5/2013 1:00:36 PM

Quote :

"ACA is regressive in favor of older people, but those $$$ can't be more than just a blip to the issue of stagnant wages for the lower classes"

But Obama hasn't done anything to fix stagnant wages, his only impacts have been negative.

12/5/2013 1:07:51 PM

Quote :

"you don't think 2011: everything was great, rise of middle class, values, more values, coca-cola to 2013: we can't look back through rose-colored glasses, it wasn't that great is a change?"

Well, I meant [no] as in "no, I don't remember that speech."

I'm seeing the difference you describe after reading the speech, but its a pretty nuanced change in tone IMO. There are a LOT of elements that are the same between the speeches including describing inequality problems and suggesting it makes our economy more volatile.

But most importantly, his solutions in the recent speech are almost the same as what he said in 2011: Close tax loopholes and tax shenanigans, come up with a decent budget, and make education better and more accessible. 2 years later and he hasn't even come close to accomplishing any of those and barring a shakeup in 2014, I seriously doubt he will accomplish them in the next 2.

The biggest difference I'm seeing is he doesn't mention the minimum wage much in 2011. Instead he tries to invoke nationalism, hoping that American companies will try harder to look out for their workers: "for the good of the company and the nation." Laugh-Out-fucking-Loud. My best guess is a higher minimum wage hadn't been polled or group tested yet so he just left it out. Again, barring something significant occurring in 2014, do you really think he can get that through congress?

Obama could start bullying the shit out of Congress tomorrow on these issues, but if the past is any indication it wont accomplish anything. Every time he tries to push on an issue, Republicans and even some conservative democrats just double down on the status quo. To make the situation even worse, Obama doesn't have even close to the popularity he needs right now to start bullying if he wanted to.

So basically, all I see is Obama giving similar, empty speeches.

12/5/2013 1:20:52 PM

which is why spending so much political capital on the regressive ACA is even worse than it would have been in a vacuum.

however, plus points for:




[Edited on December 5, 2013 at 1:43 PM. Reason : so in conclusion, maybe a wash]

12/5/2013 1:23:00 PM

Healthcare reform needed to happen. ACA was the best we could get. Once people realize it works then getting to a single-payer system will be possible. It might suck for our generation but at least we'll be able to throw it in the faces of everyone before and after us. Our generation is going to get fucked no matter what at this point. The ACA isn't going to make a huge difference. Anyone too poor to pay for insurance is getting subsidies anyway.

12/5/2013 6:28:24 PM

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/12/05/white-house-changes-story-says-obama-briefly-lived-with-uncle/?intcmp=trending

12/6/2013 8:23:31 AM

I already read about that on Blaze

12/6/2013 8:28:56 AM

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2013/12/07/business/economy/us-economy-adds-203000-jobs-as-unemployment-falls-to-5-year-low.html

Unemployment down to 7%, 5 year low. Even as ACA about to start kicking in.

12/6/2013 9:32:04 AM

^^THE Blaze.

12/6/2013 10:49:08 AM

^Buoy that with the fact the labor participation rate is continuing to drop and is now at the same level it was in 1978. And the disability dole continues to swell as it has now doubled since 1995 to almost 9 million Americans. Easy to drop the unemployment rate when you have people that are no longer worried about working.

12/6/2013 10:49:42 AM

labor participation rate dropping has more to do with baby boomers getting retired, which has been a trend since 2000, and a bunch of other things. its a poor thing to use as a counter to unemployment dropping.

12/6/2013 11:11:53 AM

Imagine what ACA would be like if both houses worked together on it.

12/6/2013 5:44:29 PM