American Politics during the Obama Presidency

[QUOTE=Doppelganger;440298]ElAlamoPalermo is always calling anyone who disagrees with him a Fascist Fanboy.

Well here is the classical definition of Fascist:

Fascist. Noun.

1. a person who believes in or sympathizes with fascism.

2. (often initial capital letter) a member of a fascist movement or party.

3. a person who is dictatorial or has extreme right-wing views.

[URL]http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/fascist[/URL]

I know where you are trying to go with this, declaring anyone on the right has "extreme right-wing views and therefore is a fascist based on the classic definition above is not only an intellectually dishonest gambit but just plain lazy in this day and time.

Perhaps back in the 1940's or 1950's the classical definition had relevance but no one is attempting to reinstitute the policies of Mussolini, not even the Italian's.

ELP, you are just engaging in bombastic name calling and attempting to denigrate your opponents when you have run out of ideas to argue.

Now I would put forward the proposition the Imperial Presidency of Obama not only is engaging the application of classic fascism:

Fascism. Noun.

1. often Fascism.

A. A system of government marked by centralization of authority under a dictator, a capitalist economy subject to stringent governmental controls, violent suppression of the opposition, and typically a policy of belligerent nationalism and racism.

B. A political philosophy or movement based on or advocating such a system of government.

2. Oppressive, dictatorial control.

I would also put forward the argument Obama is engaging in economic fascism; see the two links below for a more in depth definitions. You can draw your own conclusions.

[URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economics_of_fascism[/URL]

[URL]http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/Fascism.html[/URL][/QUOTE]

Fascism should never have been placed on the right wing. The mistake was that because the Fascists and Nazis were enemies of the left wing communists they must be right wing. In fact their philosophies are the same and they were just rival gangs fighting over turf.

Don B.

[B]What About the Jobless Who Arent Looking?[/B]

[QUOTE=Esten;440249]Remember how Republicans told us over and over how the Affordable Care Act was a big jobs killer.

[quote]The labor market continued to gain momentum and defy a mixed economy in June as employers added 288,000 jobs, the Labor Department said Thursday.

The unemployment rate fell to 6.1% vs. 6.3% in May. That's the lowest it's been since September 2008.

Economists had estimated that 215,000 jobs were added last month.

The economy has now gained at least 200,000 jobs a month for the past five months - the first such stretch since September 1999-January 2000.[/quote]

Jobs blowout: Economy gains 288,000 in June
[URL]http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/07/03/june-jobs-report/12111319/[/URL][/QUOTE][I]The labor market remains much weaker than the last time the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 percent, just before Lehman Brothers collapsed in September 2008. The difference is [b]shadow unemployment[/b], to borrow a term Janet Yellen, the Federal Reserve chairwoman, used at her June press conference.

The government counted 3.8 percent of the adult population as unemployed last month. (The official unemployment rate of 6.1 percent is measured as a share of the labor force rather than a share of the working-age population.) By this measure, unemployment is getting close to pre-recession levels. In December 2007, 3.0 percent of the adult population was unemployed.

[b]But hold the celebrations. Another 3 percent of the adult population reported that they are working part-time because they cannot find full-time jobs. This figure remains far above the December 2007 level of about 1.8 percent. In fact, part-time jobs accounted for two-thirds of all new jobs in June.[/b] Some economists expect employers to draw on this pool of partially employed workers as the economy continues to expand. Others, however, argue that at least some of these workers will not be able to find full-time work because of their shortcomings or because the economy is shifting toward part-time jobs.

Finally, we have the people who are not counted as unemployed because they are not actively seeking work. We dont know how many of these people might return to the labor market as the economy improves. One simple measure: In June, the government reported that 2.7 percent of American adults said they were not actively looking for work, but they would still like a job now. About 2 percent of adults were in that category in December 2007.[/I]

[URL]http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/04/upshot/what-about-the-jobless-who-arent-looking.html?_r=1[/URL]

"For the 49th time in 50 months, more jobseekers gave up looking than found work."

Over 14 million more people are now receiving food stamps than prior to Obama entering office.

Two-thirds of the jobs created in June were part time, is the economy shifting toward part-time jobs because of Obamacare? I guess Republicans should have said Obamacare is a "full time" jobs killer.

[QUOTE=Punter127;440316]

[b]But hold the celebrations. Another 3 percent of the adult population reported that they are working part-time because they cannot find full-time jobs. This figure remains far above the December 2007 level of about 1.8 percent. In fact, part-time jobs accounted for two-thirds of all new jobs in June.[/b] Some economists expect employers to draw on this pool of partially employed workers as the economy continues to expand. Others, however, argue that at least some of these workers will not be able to find full-time work because of their shortcomings or because the economy is shifting toward part-time jobs.

snip [/QUOTE]Some people (cough, Esten, cough) can't seem to read beyond the headlines and count a sign of defeat as a victory.

"They cited the increase in jobs (288,000). But anyone who takes the time to examine those jobs would say that statistic is preposterous -- 523,000 full-time jobs were lost and part-time jobs surged by 840,000.

Congratulations BO, you have split a full time job into 2 part time jobs so that the employers can avoid the Obamacare tax. More people than ever making too little to get by. Mission accomplished.

Labor force participation Esten, that is the only real employment statistic. All else is just governmental propaganda.

You know, if we could just convince all those currently unemployed people to stop looking for work, then the Unemployment Rate would officially be ZERO.

Thanks,

Jax.

An exerpt from a column written by Peggy Noonan for the WSJ:

=====================================

But the president is an executive, and executives manage. They set a tone, establish accountability, light fires, remind those to whom authority is delegated who's boss. They set expectations and standards. "[I]If you can't cut it, you're out.[/I]"

Mr. Obama has never seemed that interested in the management of government. It is completely believable that he read about the VA scandal in the newspapers, where he has learned of other administration scandals. It is believable he had no idea what was going on in a major, problem-plagued agency.

Making sure that things work doesn't seem to be his conception of his job. [B]Words are his job. He argues for a bill, the bill becomes a program, and someone else will make it work.[/B] He talks about health care for three years, it debuts with a terrible crash, and he's shocked. [B]Why didn't it work? He told it to![/B] His background was one of some privation, but as an executive he acts like a man who grew up with 10 maids. "[I]Let them do it, I'm too busy thinking.[/I]"

Mr. Obama said, when he first ran for president in 2008, that the VA system was a mess and he'd clean it up. It has gotten worse under his watch. He must be shocked. [B]He told it to get better! He said the words![/B]

And the word is everything. The act, the deed, the follow-through, the making it happen doesn't seem to loom large on his agenda of concerns. Which makes this progressive era different from those of FDR and LBJ, who appropriately feared scandal and mess and kept a sharp eye on what was happening.

Some of this is surely due to the culture of Washington, where they don't hold the idea of management in high regard. Managing isn't interesting, like art or talking. It's not high-class. It's what boring people do! Interesting people make speeches and spin the press and smoke out the agenda and flip the narrative.

=====================================

The full column may be reviewed at...

[URL]http://www.peggynoonan.com/the-va-scandal-is-a-crisis-of-leadership/[/URL]

Thanks,

Jax.

How good are you?

[URL]http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0104/Could-you-pass-a-US-citizenship-test/Who-signs-bills[/URL]

Oh, it's the AP men's glee club practicing again. A little bit loud and out of tune as usual. But I like their enthusiasm, they even hold hands when they practice. And when they finish, you should see their high 5's and the bumping of chests! Maybe another 6 to 8 years of practice, they might be able to put together a few songs. You would hope but it's the same song they have been polishing since 2008, and it is still quite ragged. It's more like Gregorian chanting. And I don't think the neighbors can hold off their their annoyance any longer, a public nuisance petition might soon be file. They might have to switch to knitting or checkers.

[QUOTE=RevBS;440339]Oh, it's the AP men's glee club practicing again. A little bit loud and out of tune as usual. But I like their enthusiasm, they even hold hands when they practice. And when they finish, you should see their high 5's and the bumping of chests! Maybe another 6 to 8 years of practice, they might be able to put together a few songs. You would hope but it's the same song they have been polishing since 2008, and it is still quite ragged. It's more like Gregorian chanting. And I don't think the neighbors can hold off their their annoyance any longer, a public nuisance petition might soon be file. They might have to switch to knitting or checkers.[/QUOTE]So you actually have no response?

[QUOTE=Jackson;440351]So you actually have no response?[/QUOTE]None whatsoever.

Exerpts from another Peggy Noonan column in the WSJ:

[QUOTE]In a truly stunning piece in early June, Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown and Jennifer Epstein interviewed many around the president and reported a general feeling that events have left himwell, changed. He is "taking fuller advantage of the perquisites of office," such as hosting "star-studded dinners that sometimes go on well past midnight." He travels, leaving the White House more in the first half of 2014 than any other time of his presidency except his re-election year. He enjoys talking to athletes and celebrities, not grubby politicians, even members of his own party. He is above it all.

All this is weird, unprecedented. The president shows no sign—none—of being overwhelmingly concerned and anxious at his predicaments or challenges. Every president before him would have been. Instead he seems disinterested, disengaged almost to the point of disembodied. He is fatalistic, passive, minimalist.

It is weird to have a president who has given up. So many young journalists diligently covering this White House, especially those for whom it is their first, think what they're seeing is normal.

It is not. It is unprecedented and deeply strange. And, because the world is watching and calculating, unbelievably dangerous.[/QUOTE][URL]http://online.wsj.com/articles/the-daydream-and-the-nightmare-1404421159[/URL]

Ok, I do not have the official White House schedule but as I remember Regan took more time off than any president in history. If you deny this I will search the presidential archives for accurate information. My bet to you is for me a bottle of Grand mougueigh not the cheap brown label crap but the good stuff. Your comments about President bama are offensive. Keeping the USA out of a shooting war seem to be President Obamas number one priority. Most americans are with me.

[QUOTE=HotRod11;440399]Ok, I do not have the official White House schedule but as I remember Regan took more time off than any president in history. If you deny this I will search the presidential archives for accurate information. My bet to you is for me a bottle of Grand mougueigh not the cheap brown label crap but the good stuff. Your comments about President bama are offensive. Keeping the USA out of a shooting war seem to be President Obamas number one priority. Most americans are with me.[/QUOTE]A far right conservative like Peggy Noonan doing a hit job in a conservative newspaper like the WSJ is in no way newsworthy. Peg has written more than her share of anti-Obama doom and gloom pieces. Like most conservatives she will never have anything complementary to say about Obama and positive Obama stories will not be found in the WSJ. Be wary of stories where the accounts are credited to unnamed sources like the ones in her story.

Odd that the metrics for measuring unemployment changed once Obama came into office. These are the same metrics that were used in the past but now let's move the goal post to give him credit for nothing. The right wing's goal is never to give Obama credit for any positive accomplishment and some are even trying to get him out of office at all cost, let's get this impeachment going said Sarah Palin.

[QUOTE=RcCollins;440401]A far right conservative like Peggy Noonan doing a hit job in a conservative newspaper like the WSJ is in no way newsworthy. Peg has written more than her share of anti-Obama doom and gloom pieces. Like most conservatives she will never have anything complementary to say about Obama and positive Obama stories will not be found in the WSJ. Be wary of stories where the accounts are credited to unnamed sources like the ones in her story.

Odd that the metrics for measuring unemployment changed once Obama came into office. These are the same metrics that were used in the past but now let's move the goal post to give him credit for nothing. The right wing's goal is never to give Obama credit for any positive accomplishment and some are even trying to get him out of office at all cost, let's get this impeachment going said Sarah Palin.[/QUOTE]Are you going to argue that her analysis of the facts is flawed, or predictably regress into the usual liberal tactic of attacking the author?

Yea, that's what I thought.

Jax.

[QUOTE=Jackson;440403]Are you going to argue that her analysis of the facts is flawed, or predictably regress into the usual liberal tactic of attacking the author?

Yea, that's what I thought.

Jax.[/QUOTE]If Chris Matthews, Ed Shultz or Lawrence O'Donnell wrote a similar piece against Bush or Cheney, you and your side would be similarly dismissive of it. However, I do question her because as I said she is using unnamed sources to report what is a gossip column. Coupled with her utter disdain for Obama which is surpassed only by the likes of Hannity, Nugent, Beck, Rove and other extreme right wing activist, she has no credibility. Its pretty much the same way conservatives dismissed anti-Bush/Cheney stories written by far left liberals.

[QUOTE=HotRod11;440399]Ok, I do not have the official White House schedule but as I remember Regan took more time off than any president in history. If you deny this I will search the presidential archives for accurate information. My bet to you is for me a bottle of Grand mougueigh not the cheap brown label crap but the good stuff. Your comments about President bama are offensive. Keeping the USA out of a shooting war seem to be President Obamas number one priority. Most americans are with me.[/QUOTE]Reagan's mental facilities were going downhill in the later years. What is BO's excuse?