Thoughts & Commentary on the Obama Administration

[CountArach]

I assume knocked it out of the park is an american phrase referring to when you in baseball make a home run...

But the explanation for europeans confused me, hit a 6?

Hitting it over the fence in cricket is worth 6 runs.

[Kadagar_AV]

Hitting it over the fence in cricket is worth 6 runs.

Ah, thanks :)

I once really, really did my best to appreciate a good ol' game of cricket to please a girlfriend... But only some 10 minutes into the game I found myself fiddling with my cell phone instead... And mind you, these were in the times before we had games on them!

[Strike For The South]

On a personal level I like Obama more than I liked Bush. He seems more sincere.

Does this make me a bad person?

[Lemur]

Does this make me a bad person?

Yes. Why do you love Hugo Chavez?

[Gregoshi]

Lemur, if you are going to link to Glenn Beck, a warning would be appreciated. Those subversive links are a cruel ambush to the common sense.

[Vladimir]

Has anyone seen one of his live shows? The ones where he thinks he's Brittney Spears and soaked in sweat? Looks nasty.

[Subotan]

You wouldn't believe he was the most popular feature of the most trusted news channel in America though

[CountArach]

He is also more admired than the Pope:

Since 1948, the Gallup polling organization has been asking Americans what man and woman "that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?" This year, the polling firm stirred up more interest -- and in some circles, horror -- than in years past.

The reason: More people mentioned Glenn Beck, the conservative radio and television host, than the pope.

Granted, it was close: In the final tally, Beck and Pope Benedict XVI both were named by 2 percent of respondents. But Beck earned a few more mentions than the pope -- enough, by Gallup's reckoning, to edge His Holiness by a nose. The runaway winner was President Barack Obama, with 30 percent, followed by former President George W. Bush with 4 percent and former South African President Nelson Mandela with 3 percent.

[Gregoshi]

"It is so disturbing," he said. "It's so wrong. ... When somebody phoned me up [with the news], I said, 'Shut the hell up!' ... None of it's good news for the world."

Well said Mr. Beck.

[Subotan]

What a Mormon.

[ICantSpellDawg]

Glenn Beck is dangerously insane. I've never met anyone who watches him without turning the TV off with that eirie feeling.

[Gregoshi]

I remember the first times encountering Glenn Beck while channel surfing and wondering who this hack was and marveled at his ability to grate on my nerves after 30 seconds of watching him. I thought only Al Franken could do that. Beck's got skillz.

BTW, one positive thing about Franken getting elected is that I haven't heard a peep from him since. Is that really the case or have I just been lucky?

[Fragony]

Looks like the USA is going to be the top dog for a while, impressive

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1416882220100129

you can probably read it when we are done.

[Lemur]

POTUS provides ply-by-play commentary, crowd goes wild. One of the strangest, and yet somehow coolest moments in Presidential history.

[Subotan]

Obama is a way more regular guy than McCain or Bush ever were.

[Gregoshi]

Obama is a way more regular guy than McCain or Bush ever were.

You'd think otherwise with all their strong moral fiber.

[Crazed Rabbit]

Want a sure-fire way to make the BCS worse? Get the government involved.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is considering several steps that would review the legality of the controversial Bowl Championship Series, the Justice Department said in a letter Friday to a senator who had asked for an antitrust review.

In the letter to Sen. Orrin Hatch, obtained by The Associated Press, Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich wrote that the Justice Department is reviewing Hatch's request and other materials to determine whether to open an investigation into whether the BCS violates antitrust laws.

"Importantly, and in addition, the administration also is exploring other options that might be available to address concerns with the college football postseason," Weich wrote, including asking the Federal Trade Commission to review the legality of the BCS under consumer protection laws.

I dislike the BCS, but this is simply government overreaching.

CR

[Fragony]

lol

Obama



Wouter Bos of the Dutch social democrats

[Gregoshi]

Want a sure-fire way to make the BCS worse? Get the government involved.

Government involvement would really improve things.[/sarcasm] Maybe with their legislating the BCS, they'll introduce the fillibuster to the polling process. The government needs to get a life.

[CountArach]

lol

Obama



Wouter Bos of the Dutch social democrats

I think everyone who espouses 'hope' as a value they represent has had their picture taken with that head angle at some point or another. It is an incredibly common trope and always has been, as it is is something like "looking into the future", but also "day-dreaming of something better."

@ Lemur - "Can I be totally irrelevant?" "Errr, irreverant?" "Irreverant and irrelevant, thank you sir. Big moment, I couldn't handle it." . That was very cool though.

[Beskar]

Obama is significantly superior to Bush Jr. so far though. That is a good thing.

[PanzerJaeger]

Obama is significantly superior to Bush Jr. so far though. That is a good thing.

That is certainly a highly debatable opinion.

[Lemur]

That is certainly a highly debatable opinion.

Indeed, for a certain segment of the population, Obama is Stalin cum Antichrist with a dash of Idi Amin. A mere incompetent like GWB can never compare with that.

39 percent of Republicans believe Obama should be impeached, 29 percent are not sure, 32 percent said he should not be voted out of office.

36 percent of Republicans believe Obama was not born in the United States, 22 percent are not sure, 42 percent think he is a natural citizen.

31 percent of Republicans believe Obama is a "Racist who hates White people" -- the description once adopted by Fox News's Glenn Beck. 33 percent were not sure, and 36 percent said he was not a racist.

63 percent of Republicans think Obama is a socialist, 16 percent are not sure, 21 percent say he is not

24 percent of Republicans believe Obama wants "the terrorists to win," 33 percent aren't sure, 43 percent said he did not want the terrorist to win.

21 percent of Republicans believe ACORN stole the 2008 election, 55 percent are not sure, 24 percent said the community organizing group did not steal the election.

23 percent of Republicans believe that their state should secede from the United States, 19 percent aren't sure, 58 percent said no.

53 percent of Republicans said they believe Sarah Palin is more qualified to be president than Obama.

Further polling data here, level-headed analysis here.

[PanzerJaeger]

Indeed, for a certain segment of the population, Obama is Stalin cum Antichrist with a dash of Idi Amin. A mere incompetent like GWB can never compare with that.

Yep, its just those nutty Glen Beck Republicans who are turning against this president and his agenda.

[CountArach]

I didn't see some of those results coming (31% want to outlaw contraceptive use and 73% think that gay people shouldn't teach in schools!). The full set of questions and answers are here - and before people criticise it for being DailyKos, they didn't do the polling, Research 2000 did. Further, the DailyKos daily tracking poll has only a few points better for Obama than the other tracking polls do, so even if ytou cry bias that is quite a baseless idea.

[Sasaki Kojiro]

That poll is so obviously bogus that I'm amazed people are even discussing it seriously.

I'm not a bit surprised that self-identified republicans will tell a pollster that ACORN stole the election and that they believe the should secede from the union, what's disturbing is that it gets reported as "21% of Republicans believe".

[PanzerJaeger]

I didn't see some of those results coming (31% want to outlaw contraceptive use and 73% think that gay people shouldn't teach in schools!). The full set of questions and answers are here - and before people criticise it for being DailyKos, they didn't do the polling, Research 2000 did. Further, the DailyKos daily tracking poll has only a few points better for Obama than the other tracking polls do, so even if ytou cry bias that is quite a baseless idea.

Some further reading you may be interested in.

[CountArach]

Yep, its just those nutty Glen Beck Republicans who are turning against this president and his agenda.

Voting intentions are:
1) Useless this far out from an election
2) Pointless when you don't name the "someone else" because people are able to put in place the name of their favourite dream candidate. I'd be interested to see how many Democrats said someone else, because they could well be causing those numbers. Also I'm not sure I like the fact that 21% of respondents to that poll are from the "Deep South". I think the partisan identification probably should have been 2 or 3 points fewer Republicans and 2 or 3 more Democrats. Plus the questions are really quite skewed if you ask me and that makes me think that I'm missing something. Financial Dynamics is not a particularly reknowned pollster either.

[CountArach]

Some further reading you may be interested in.

Yep I know that, and I'm not surprised, but seriously 63% call him a Socialist? 53% think Palin is more qualified to be President? 73% think gays shouldn't be allowed to teach? 77% believe creationism should be taught?

Oh and note that I also think parts of the poll are off - the heavily gender-skewed nature of respondents and the high proportion of elderly for example.

[PanzerJaeger]

2) Pointless when you don't name the "someone else" because people are able to put in place the name of their favourite dream candidate. I'd be interested to see how many Democrats said someone else, because they could well be causing those numbers. Also I'm not sure I like the fact that 21% of respondents to that poll are from the "Deep South". I think the partisan identification probably should have been 2 or 3 points fewer Republicans and 2 or 3 more Democrats. Plus the questions are really quite skewed if you ask me and that makes me think that I'm missing something. Financial Dynamics is not a particularly reknowned pollster either.

Well, theres this from back in July when Obama was just beginning his implosion..

And more recently, this. Apparently, even the likes of Sarah Palin is polling significantly better than earlier in Obama's term.

Finally, a few weeks ago, there was this. Take from it what you will.