My Morning Contribution: Obama, the Great Pragmatist

[Overtures]

Ah, yes, let's talk about the much loved/hated Obama.


That Kendrick line about never doubting Obama is spot on. After Trump, it kind of makes it hard not to wish Barry would come back from the bench and play a few games -- like old times.

Obama is my favorite president, partly because he's the only one I paid attention to, and partly because there's something about him that I greatly admire.

That something is his unwavering devotion to pragmatism, to walking the middle line. It's kind of funny, he was hated by the right for being too liberal - a communist and socialist, etc. But when you step back and view things from afar, it's clear that Obama was the king of playing it safe. Everything he did and said was measured and meant to assuage.


Here's why that's so important to me: because it's about all that a president can do. Witness The Trump era. He came in talking about the most radical change in American politics and we've been left with "meh" to "lmao" as a result.

My point is that Obama seemed to understand and keep secret the fact that from a realist's perspective, there wasn't much point in selling pipe dreams once he got in office.

He's a shrewd mf'er.

 

[Fugazy]

I got nothing.

I can't rage on this post.

 

[spin]

i'm gonna wait several years to have any definitive opinion on Obama.


we have to see how is policies and decisions on certain things pan out.

 

[Roaming East]

i'm gonna wait several years to have any definitive opinion on Obama.


we have to see how is policies and decisions on certain things pan out.

well the new guy in office seems to be going through wikipedia to find anything that Obama passed, and immediately canceling it. so in a few years, nothing he passed will still exist

 

[b-hop]

Obama is one of the worst presidents in the history of our country.
Just a dumbass, effeminate guy that did not make a single good policy.

 

[all caps]

Toeing the line is not a good policy. Those who screech the loudest will slowly but surely dictate all change. We will wake up one day in a world we dont recognize, following rules we didnt know existed asking ourselves "how did we get here" - and by then, its too late.

Someone has to be willing to make the tough decisions. If none of us ever care about anything, were doomed.

 

[JonesBones]

Obama campaigned on change and gave none of it. Wiretapping. More wars. These things cannot be defended by "pragmatism". He is just another President, no different than others.

 

[Seano]

He could have done a lot more to better race relations and frequently made statements that were inflammatory in that regard. ( could have been my son, officers behaved stupidly for arresting an educated black man, etc)

Gets too much credit for a weak economy.

 

[Grenz]

Obama is one of the worst presidents in the history of our country.
Just a dumbass, effeminate guy that did not make a single good policy.

Incredibly insightful analysis. "Dumbass" is spot on, I mean how hard can it be teaching constitutional law at the University of Chicago? You probably don't even need a law degree to do that, Obama probably took turns doing that and mopping the floors.

 

[Overtures]

B-hop had some really great perspectives here.

 

[DoomPatrol]

Obama is one of the worst presidents in the history of our country.
Just a dumbass, effeminate guy that did not make a single good policy.

In comparison to being a dumbass, redneck guy who made terrible policy like the Patriot Act and dragged us into economic ruin with the worst terror attack in history, and two wars that would go on for decades?

I think any President that just doesn't fuck things up is pretty good in comparison to some of the Republican disasters we've had.

 

[Jack V Savage]

Obama campaigned on change and gave none of it. Wiretapping. More wars. These things cannot be defended by "pragmatism". He is just another President, no different than others.

It's hard for me to believe that anyone who actually followed the news can say this. Even if you don't like the changes Obama has made, you can't deny that he's made more significant changes than anyone since at least Reagan (who made some bad ones).

 

[Stoic1]

No.

 

[hillelslovak87]

Obama is one of the worst presidents in the history of our country.
Just a dumbass, effeminate guy that did not make a single good policy.

 

[bobgeese]

Ah, yes, let's talk about the much loved/hated Obama.


That Kendrick line about never doubting Obama is spot on. After Trump, it kind of makes it hard not to wish Barry would come back from the bench and play a few games -- like old times.

Obama is my favorite president, partly because he's the only one I paid attention to, and partly because there's something about him that I greatly admire.

That something is his unwavering devotion to pragmatism, to walking the middle line. It's kind of funny, he was hated by the right for being too liberal - a communist and socialist, etc. But when you step back and view things from afar, it's clear that Obama was the king of playing it safe. Everything he did and said was measured and meant to assuage.


Here's why that's so important to me: because it's about all that a president can do. Witness The Trump era. He came in talking about the most radical change in American politics and we've been left with "meh" to "lmao" as a result.

My point is that Obama seemed to understand and keep secret the fact that from a realist's perspective, there wasn't much point in selling pipe dreams once he got in office.

He's a shrewd mf'er.

Holy shit...

That was his failure as a president. His policy of "leading from behind". His inaction on healthcare resulted in a clusterfuck failure of a bill. I mean, do we need to even bring up the bungling of the Middle East? The only thing it proved decent for was a stable rise in the economy.

Furthermore, it led to his kryptonite.

Everyone liked him (well, except Putin I guess), but absolutely nobody feared or respected him.

 

[pinger]

Obama is one of the worst presidents in the history of our country.
Just a dumbass, effeminate guy that did not make a single good policy.

Objectively, you are looking at Obama and Trump side by side; and Obama is the effeminate dumbass?

lol, holy fuck

 

[dirtroller]

 

[hillelslovak87]

Holy shit...

That was his failure as a president. His policy of "leading from behind". His inaction on healthcare resulted in a clusterfuck failure of a bill. I mean, do we need to even bring up the bungling of the Middle East? The only thing it proved decent for was a stable rise in the economy.

Furthermore, it led to his kryptonite.

Everyone liked him (well, except Putin I guess), but absolutely nobody feared or respected him.

What does leading behind mean to you? It seems nothing but a talking point.

His inaction on healthcare? What about the Republican Congress refusing to allocate premium easement funds, and blocking the opt ins of their states, and withholding the obamacare money from their states?

The Middle East? You're going to put the ME on him? really? After getting us out of two wars?

I'm sure Vladimir Putin respects and fears Donald Trump. Because you know, Donald Trump is the definition of a hard man. He's not at all a rich bitch who has never done a day of hard work in his life, right.

 

[b-hop]

In comparison to being a dumbass, redneck guy who made terrible policy like the Patriot Act and dragged us into economic ruin with the worst terror attack in history, and two wars that would go on for decades?

I think any President that just doesn't fuck things up is pretty good in comparison to some of the Republican disasters we've had.

I dislike Bush, i think he was as bad or worse than Obama.

 

[b-hop]

Objectively, you are looking at Obama and Trump side by side; and Obama is the effeminate dumbass?

lol, holy fuck

Serious, you think Obama is a hard and tougher guy than Trump?