American Politics during the Obama Presidency

[Damman]

This type of diplomacy and interactions rankles some. They like the hard ass approach. Cut 'em off. Ignore 'em. Give 'em the finger. But in today's world, charming a questionable leader to the point that they say "I want to be your friend" and smiling like a big ol' kid can give you leverage that can be exploited for your benefit. Not theirs. "Kill 'em with kindness" does work a sizable amount of time. We have everything to gain and nothing to loose. The World is changing.

[QuakHunter]

Loads of pictures of Chavez and Obama making goo-goo eyes at each other.

My left-leaning friends are all so happy - isn't it a wonderful change from the animosity of the past 8 years?

And I have to agree. Like President O, I'd much rather have an amicable relationship with Chavez's Venezuala. Problem is, I can't as easily ignore the human rights abuses, the nationalization of industry and that inconvenient 'president-for-life' thing he's trying to do.

I find it sickening to see the President of the United States dealing with an anti-democratic thug like Chavez. Obviously our new President values smiles and handshakes over freedom. This isn't an isolated case and it will not end well.

Principles? We don't need no stinkin' principles.

Who needs principles when we have polls to worry about.

I just want the Fuckers to like us again.

I voted for Obama because I thought he was Irish. Then I noticed it wasn't O'Bama. I quit drinking after that.

[Paul VJK]

Loads of pictures of Chavez and Obama making goo-goo eyes at each other.

My left-leaning friends are all so happy - isn't it a wonderful change from the animosity of the past 8 years?

And I have to agree. Like President O, I'd much rather have an amicable relationship with Chavez's Venezuala. Problem is, I can't as easily ignore the human rights abuses, the nationalization of industry and that inconvenient 'president-for-life' thing he's trying to do.

I find it sickening to see the President of the United States dealing with an anti-democratic thug like Chavez. Obviously our new President values smiles and handshakes over freedom. This isn't an isolated case and it will not end well.

Principles? We don't need no stinkin' principles.

[Wild Walleye]

The notion of "too big to fail" while commonly used in the pejorative by the main stream media (regardless of political slant) is largely misunderstood as to its roll in market psychology and in some cases its necessity for economic stability.

Unfortunately, the morons in the previous administration (please note that I am dumping on a Republican Admin) did not understand it and destroyed (yes destroyed) TBTF as part of the bedrock of market psychology. If they had chosen to continue the notion / perception of TBTF, it would have helped last summer / fall and would have lessened the impact of the financial crisis across the economy. The event to which I refer is of course letting Lehman Bros fail. It shattered TBTF and immediately destroyed any confidence in any and all counter parties to financial transactions. In the wake of Lehman's September bankruptcy, the entire economy shut down for weeks, in large part due to the nonavailability of commercial paper and other short-term debt instruments that are the oil to the economic engine. This acerbated the already bad economic situation and accelerated layoffs across the nation in all sectors of the economy (the effects of taking three weeks of GDP and throwing it out the window)

You were correct on the NEW and 'improved' selective TBTF, if you combine these two notions:

Because the government has already let it be known that a company "too big to fail" will be artificially propped up with taxpayer money

I do not agree that presidents can have no effect on the economy. Usually the effect is in the aggregate, but of late the effects are becoming much more direct, picking "winners" and "losers."

Now the precedent has been set that TBTF is entirely at the whim or agenda of the president. Whether Obama, Bush, Reagan, Washington or anyone in between, that is a very bad thing.

For TBTF to support finding a bottom in a financial crisis, its existence must be absolute in the mind of the market participants, even though it maybe in part mythology.

[Daddy Rulz]

I was watching the Daily Show and they had Elizabeth Warren on. She was speaking about how after the 1st Great Depression (joke) the nation implimented regulation that avoided the typical boom-bust cycle of the preceding 150 years of U. S. history, from the late 1930's to late 1980's.

FDIC, SEC regulations, and Glass-Steagal (separating commercial banking from investment banking)

And that since Reagan this regulation has been eroded.

Without getting into partisinship (impossible dream I know) can you edumacated mongers edumacate me on the subject a bit?

[Hunt99]

I mentioned, I'll bet you a full night of drinks and pussy at Black that NONE of the companies I mentioned will go bankrupt as a result of the upheaval of the past year or so. All of the companies I mentioned had an extremely profitable business model before they started involving themselves in garbage securities, which foolish executives turned to as a way of feeding larger bonuses to themselves through short term unsustainable earnings numbers. They have reverted to their standard business practices and will be profitable indefinitely.

While I have no problem joining you for mongering at Black, I can't take you up on this wager. Why? Because the government has already let it be known that a company "too big to fail" will be artificially propped up with taxpayer money.

I don't think it's the case with GE, WFC, or JPM, but it is beyond dispute that GS, C, and BAC would have been in receivership without infusion of over $200 billion of tax money.

Of course, WFC and JPM just got $100 billion in subsidies to buy WM and WB, respectively.

I do not agree that presidents can have no effect on the economy. Usually the effect is in the aggregate, but of late the effects are becoming much more direct, picking "winners" and "losers." Of course, in the long term the whole stinking mess will come crashing down, as efforts to cancel the law of supply and demand are about as successful as seeking to cancel the law of gravity.

There will be a price to be paid by tripling and quadrupling the national debt in a short period of time, from an already-unacceptably high level, as we will see. My challenge is to foresee how the transformation of the USA into a large version of Argentina can be exploited for profit.

However, before those great plans for "change" come to fruition, it's more likely that history will toss up another Reagan to sweep away our present Second Coming of Jimmy Carter. Three more years of Carter II, and then the reformation.

[Wild Walleye]

It is an angry-left-wing label developed to aid liberals responding to intelligent conservatives with more than gaping mouths and looking like a guppy.

The read-between-the-lines includes a heavy dose of antisemitism (aimed at Jews that don't vote democrat -- I. E. Those self-hating types that while they send their kids to live on a kibbutz for a few months, don't have the balls to stand up for Israel) I don't understand why they had to add the antisemitic angle, but it's there.

Me? While I am a son of David, mine is a three-person God.

Please, call me anything you like, if your calling me names, I am sure that I am on the right path.

I predict that what has been happening in the American consciousness will ultimately be reflected in real term limits (I. E. at the polls--I believe that those are the term limits intended by the framers)

America is waking up from a nasty bender, shaking out the cob webs and trying to remember all the details from a raucous, feel-good stretch of gilding the lily and believing it isn't what I do but how I feel and empathize that is important. Rethinking how things went so wrong when doing it felt soooo good.

I am sure RH thinks I am a racist, sexist, bigoted homophobe. The truth? What's it matter? He doesn't care to know the truth, he knows what he knows and that is the truth no matter how in accurate it is.

If liberals actually practiced anything that they preach, it would be a different story.

With Obama at the helm the Pirates will not prevail!

It is my belief that the end game will be:

1) Cubs.

2) Cardinals.

3) Milwaukee.

4) Astros.

5) Pirates.

And I believe the Somali Pirates will proclaim, as the highest ranking Shiite leader associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon declared that, "Obama is to be trusted and negotiated with".

I just want these Fuckers to like us again.

Cubs win, Cubs win! Holy Cow, Cubs win!

[QuakHunter]

With Obama at the helm the Pirates will not prevail!

It is my belief that the end game will be:

1) Cubs.

2) Cardinals.

3) Milwaukee.

4) Astros.

5) Pirates.

And I believe the Somali Pirates will proclaim, as the highest ranking Shiite leader associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon declared that, "Obama is to be trusted and negotiated with".

I just want these Fuckers to like us again.

Cubs win, Cubs win! Holy Cow, Cubs win!

[QuakHunter]

The neo-cons on this board can keep on blowing bitter hot air if they choose, or they can observe a number of my predictions of Obama's successes coming true before their very eyes.

I still don't know what a "Neo-Con" is. I know it means Neo-Conservative, but the negative connotation troubles my giving, caring, chica loving nature.

Please refer to me as "Neo-Mong" or Neo-Monger.

Thank you.

P. S. - Regarding Rocktradamus' predictions. I predict it will rain. Someday. Then followed by a period of sun. Some other day.

[Precocious One]

If you think Obama had anything to do with the corporate earnings of those companies, you are really much more stupid than you appear at first glance. Moreover, he wasn't even in office for much of the quarter that these companies are reporting earnings for.

But if you want to give him credit where none is due, I look forward to your agreement that he will deserve blame when bad things happen as well. Or will that still be Bush's fault?

And finally, you ought to remember that Enron reported positive earnings just before it filed for bankruptcy. But a gullible type who will credit anything to a newly-installed chief executive will doubtless also think that just because a bunch of numbers are reported in a 10-Q, they must be correct.

Well said. The profits of these companies last quarter were all made on their trading desks (gambling) and not through conventional means (writing loans) In fact, many of the aforementioned companies where publically stating (mid -March) to short and buy puts against them which resulted in said companies orchestrating the biggest short squeeze ever recorded in the financial sectors. A complete fleecing of the sheeple.

These companies are almost all insolvent justifying why the Fed is advocating the termination of mark-to-market and their non-dislosure of level three assets.

This is the beginning of the end of a 20+year credit binge, credit that the US (or most other countries for that matter) cannot and will not ever pay back in today's dollar (inevitable devaluation).

With this in mind, do people really believe that the world has resolved it's debt issues in just six short months?

[Rock Harders]

Hunt,

The point of mentioning that these blue-chips are reporting earnings is to demonstrate that Obama's policies are not "ruining" the economy as many of the neo-cons on this board like the argue. Most Presidents have little actual influence on the economy except for their instillation of confidence, hope and self assurance in the direction the nation and economy are headed. In terms of your seeming comparison of Enron to the companies I mentioned, I'll bet you a full night of drinks and pussy at Black that NONE of the companies I mentioned will go bankrupt as a result of the upheaval of the past year or so. All of the companies I mentioned had an extremely profitable business model before they started involving themselves in garbage securities, which foolish executives turned to as a way of feeding larger bonuses to themselves through short term unsustainable earnings numbers. They have reverted to their standard business practices and will be profitable indefinitely.

Suerte,

Rock Harders

[Hunt99]

Within the past week or so Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, General Electric, Wells Fargo and Bank of America have all announced much better than expected quarterly earnings and all made a large profit (pre-repayment of bailout money) Many of the big firms that received bailout money have already begun paying it back. It appears there has been a bottoming out and that very, very slow growth and recovery can begin.

If you think Obama had anything to do with the corporate earnings of those companies, you are really much more stupid than you appear at first glance. Moreover, he wasn't even in office for much of the quarter that these companies are reporting earnings for.

But if you want to give him credit where none is due, I look forward to your agreement that he will deserve blame when bad things happen as well. Or will that still be Bush's fault?

And finally, you ought to remember that Enron reported positive earnings just before it filed for bankruptcy. But a gullible type who will credit anything to a newly-installed chief executive will doubtless also think that just because a bunch of numbers are reported in a 10-Q, they must be correct.

[Punter 127]

Mongers-

The neo-cons on this board can keep on blowing bitter hot air if they choose, or they can observe a number of my predictions of Obama's successes coming true before their very eyes. First, we have the case of Cuba, which no one can deny is on the very cusp of opening up to unrestricted US citizen travel and unrestricted commerce is not too far down the road. The US has given the go ahead to the OAS to re-admit Cuba to its ranks of membership. Within 90 days, I predict the travel ban will be history and high level talks leading to a full restoration of diplomatic relations will occur. Next we have Iran, which has gone from hailing the US as the "great satan" to acknowledging that Obama is someone they can work with and agreeing to sit down with Obama and sort out the various issues. I predict within 180 days the Obama will hold high level talks with Iran and diplomatic relations will be restored. Even the highest ranking Shiite leader associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon has declared that Obama is to be trusted and negotiated with.

How about the US economy? Within the past week or so Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, General Electric, Wells Fargo and Bank of America have all announced much better than expected quarterly earnings and all made a large profit (pre-repayment of bailout money) Many of the big firms that received bailout money have already begun paying it back. It appears there has been a bottoming out and that very, very slow growth and recovery can begin.

The neo-cons mock the notion of "change", but Obama is making enormous changes in the things he has the direct power to control; foreign policy, civil rights, etc. The economy was fucked up long before Obama was elected and it is going to take time to clean up the mess that the scummy neo-cons and their military / industrialist buddies left the United States citizenry. Look forward to 93 more months of this.

Suerte,

Rock Harders

What a load of Tommyrot!

[Damman]

Go Obama. So refreshing to be away from that John Wayne wanna-be.

Mongers-

The neo-cons on this board can keep on blowing bitter hot air if they choose, or they can observe a number of my predictions of Obama's successes coming true before their very eyes. First, we have the case of Cuba, which no one can deny is on the very cusp of opening up to unrestricted US citizen travel and unrestricted commerce is not too far down the road. The US has given the go ahead to the OAS to re-admit Cuba to its ranks of membership. Within 90 days, I predict the travel ban will be history and high level talks leading to a full restoration of diplomatic relations will occur. Next we have Iran, which has gone from hailing the US as the "great satan" to acknowledging that Obama is someone they can work with and agreeing to sit down with Obama and sort out the various issues. I predict within 180 days the Obama will hold high level talks with Iran and diplomatic relations will be restored. Even the highest ranking Shiite leader associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon has declared that Obama is to be trusted and negotiated with.

How about the US economy? Within the past week or so Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, General Electric, Wells Fargo and Bank of America have all announced much better than expected quarterly earnings and all made a large profit (pre-repayment of bailout money) Many of the big firms that received bailout money have already begun paying it back. It appears there has been a bottoming out and that very, very slow growth and recovery can begin.

The neo-cons mock the notion of "change", but Obama is making enormous changes in the things he has the direct power to control; foreign policy, civil rights, etc. The economy was fucked up long before Obama was elected and it is going to take time to clean up the mess that the scummy neo-cons and their military / industrialist buddies left the United States citizenry. Look forward to 93 more months of this.

Suerte,

Rock Harders

[Rock Harders]

Mongers-

The neo-cons on this board can keep on blowing bitter hot air if they choose, or they can observe a number of my predictions of Obama's successes coming true before their very eyes. First, we have the case of Cuba, which no one can deny is on the very cusp of opening up to unrestricted US citizen travel and unrestricted commerce is not too far down the road. The US has given the go ahead to the OAS to re-admit Cuba to its ranks of membership. Within 90 days, I predict the travel ban will be history and high level talks leading to a full restoration of diplomatic relations will occur. Next we have Iran, which has gone from hailing the US as the "great satan" to acknowledging that Obama is someone they can work with and agreeing to sit down with Obama and sort out the various issues. I predict within 180 days the Obama will hold high level talks with Iran and diplomatic relations will be restored. Even the highest ranking Shiite leader associated with Hezbollah in Lebanon has declared that Obama is to be trusted and negotiated with.

How about the US economy? Within the past week or so Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Citibank, General Electric, Wells Fargo and Bank of America have all announced much better than expected quarterly earnings and all made a large profit (pre-repayment of bailout money) Many of the big firms that received bailout money have already begun paying it back. It appears there has been a bottoming out and that very, very slow growth and recovery can begin.

The neo-cons mock the notion of "change", but Obama is making enormous changes in the things he has the direct power to control; foreign policy, civil rights, etc. The economy was fucked up long before Obama was elected and it is going to take time to clean up the mess that the scummy neo-cons and their military / industrialist buddies left the United States citizenry. Look forward to 93 more months of this.

Suerte,

Rock Harders