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vincentML -> RE: The President's Credibility with Allies ... (3/18/2017 6:40:32 AM)
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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker
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ORIGINAL: vincentML
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ORIGINAL: heavyblinker
I have a theory that whenever someone's party loses an election, the resulting worry forces them to pay closer attention to what is happening... but when someone's party wins, they just relax, tune out and assume that everything will be fine.
Not that you could ever honestly equate Trump with Obama, but it is interesting to see how things have changed in that respect.
You may have a point but remember the only concern about Obama we had to defend was the absurd notion that he was a Kenya born Muslim.
I thought Obama was solid but not exceptional... still, it's not like there aren't legit criticisms. The birther shit and most of the RWNJ talking points were objectively retarded, but there was the whole surveillance state thing and it's not like he did a lot for education or helping the rust belt. In many ways, he was arrogant and overlooked some key issues that could have helped Hillary win-- not that Hillary wasn't basically Bush 3. He could have also taken a more proactive role in pushing what is actually still a very right-wing 'left' party to the actual left and made it more like the social democrats in Europe or even the Liberals or NDP in Canada. Hillary wouldn't even fit into a party like that.
I offered an OP about presidential credibility, which is a matter of style and truth telling. I am not arsed to defend Obama's eight years but I will give some short replies to your comments.
Obama did not institute the surveillance state; he inherited it, and I am not convinced it is a bad thing.
Arrogance is in the eye of the beholder. Where you saw arrogance I saw caution about his historical role. He vigorously campaigned for Hillary. Not something sitting presidents have done. Hillary's campaign was its own worst enemy except for the rogue FBI director, whose behavior continues to dismay.
Pushing the party left is easier to do in a relatively homogeneous parliamentary system. Here, that would have been the task of choosing candidates by the DNC, and given the mechanisms of local primaries even the DNC does not have all that much top down control.
Whatever its flaws Obamacare was a push toward FDR. Preservation of large tracts of public land as well as business and environmental regulations also qualified as left leaning, imo.
ciao
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