and let's face it.... Obama's brain vs. a Tea Party Brain... Like a Pitbull vs. a chihuahua.

who want to take it down.. my money's on PBO.

We really have no idea what is going on, other than it is an attempted coup.

And I don't think it is Obama's brain vs the teaprty brain. The people running this coup are way smarter than any teaparty moran..

I just hope he had a plan on how to resolve it besides expecting the GOP to behave rationally. He did try in good faith to work with the nutbags. I wonder what other options he has?

He has tried to get along and they have been awful. And still he tried even after most Dems were pretty deeply offended.

I've always thought the great shame of his Presidency was that the racist right wingers robbed the country of this healing opportunity. A black man being elected should have been a celebration of how far we have come, not a fight to keep our ground.

you have deciphered what's going on, at least at that end of PA Ave!

And I have to add that the "squealing and thrashing of the Republicans" reminded me of Maurice Sendak"s "...and the rolled their terrible eyes and gnashed their terrible teeth.."!!

I had to stop and laugh for a minute before I could finish reading!!

But seriously, I hope you are right.

But the Republicans have really fallen in deep this time.

I've had that at the back of my mind, too. After awhile you get conditioned.

Have yourself a good weekend too.. mahalo for your thread~

That's the way it always seems to work. I'd sure hate to be against the man.

What video game?

He seems to be a master strategist and tactician... but what do I know.

I'm not sure if I should be offended or not!

:0)

But I'll also bet you really know that. A modest man you are, though.

I at you and bookmark this thread.

May your lamp burn brightly, my friend :0)

I often feel that he's giving in too much, and at times maybe he has, (we're living the sequester budget and I don't think that was part of his plan), but on the whole I think he's a lot shrewder than most people give him credit for.

In this particular case the right seems absolutely giddy with excitement to wrap the rope around their necks and help their compadres wrap it around theirs. (Though I doubt they'd appreciate being called compadres.)

K & R

like you every other time, it's been after the fact that it's become evident the strategy of how the game is being played out (actually more like manipulated)...not even the Reps seem to see it coming.

and I stand corrected, that was a moment we saw him dole out the rope. Brilliant.

that moment in the debates was marvelous...the look on his face; I think youth might use the term, "powned".

they wanted...individual mandates and all. Now they hate it soooooo..e i.universal health care or Medicare for all is on its way. He is a master. And yes, the sequester is hurting many but even that will take a turn in the long run. The deficit is falling, the trade gat closing, and one more of the boogey-man issues for the GOP will soon be gone. Once the Dems are back in control much of the safety net will be restored.

have a good weekend

Rec

he surprised the hell out of me with Syria. When was the last time we didn't bomb someone who the MIC wanted to?

Our president does play the long game.

I don't always see the end game but he's almost always victorious. Barry is SMART!

... a birther moniker. POTUS, Obama, President Obama -- all will do just fine.

He will make a statement and everyone forgets about it but him. When he told the press his girls wanted a dog, he said they'd get one in late spring. If you have ever had kids really wanting something, like a dog, you know they will drive you crazy begging and chances are you will give in to them. But when did the Obamas did get the dog, it was just when he said, late spring.

Like getting Bin Laden, when he was debating McCain,he said would go into Pakistan to get him,if needed, he was ridiculed by the right and the press. Then everyone forgot about it, but once he was elected, he put the wheels in motion and you all know what happened.

He has said he will not negotiate on the shut down and the debt ceiling and I believe him. Whether it is because he is stubborn and sticks to his guns or if he is smart at maneuvering, I don't know, but I believe what he says, no matter how minor, he means it.

That's what I like about him, he steady and stays the course. If you agree with him, send him an email and let him know you are supporting him all the way.

-Laelth

Although a few would say he's lucky. I would have to say both - LOL

He has come out on top too many times for it to be luck.

--Vince Lombardi

You are a kindred spirit - Politics morning, noon and night.

I feel the same way about Obama's long game. I don't get it then all of the sudden DADT is consigned to the dustbin of history. Dems fall over themselves to support marriage equality now - with PBO championing it in the general election. And more.

Obama dropped the gay community a hint - at least to those who were listening - during his first year of office. He said during remarks at an event (or maybe in a q&a) that the gay community would be happy about what's to come from his admin.

That turned out to be the understatement of the century. And it causes me to trust his skillful handling of the presidency.

I believe the ACA terrifies republicans for a variety of electoral reasons, the primary one being that the Act will have a profound, positive economic impact for years to come.

it will be known as one of the foundations of society.

And Obama's name is going to be tied to it for eternity. History will be kind to this President, even if the modern day is not.

People will wonder why this foundational program is called Obamacare. And through their research they'll learn about PBO and this remarkable time in American history.

His name will be up there with Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln and Kennedy. Iconic. And he knows it. His sense of history is incredible. If you look at some of his stagecraft, it is immediately evident, from the day he announced his candidacy.

For iconic

It opened the door and allowed Mr. Obama to walk right through it.

During the Presidential debates I always had a suspicion Biden came out swinging so hard against Paul Ryan so he could give the President more room to be aggressive in his next debate with Romney.

that went on aroundhere, good to see acknowledgement of his gamesmanship - I mean many here tried to project their thinking onto him and by him not following their logic, they claimed he was being ineffective, weak, naive. many of us dont see the long game

... when everyone else is playing football. His deftness on Syria was wonderful. He had Republicans taking positions against a war - because he was for it. Then he played good cop-bad cop with Putin, and the Syrians chose Mr. Good Cop to do business with. Bad Cop was trying to go to war with them. And he then pulled the plug on the MIC by putting the go-to-war question properly into Congress' hands. He undid 50 years of letting the Executive decide when to go to war.

A big stack of wins.

You have summed up recent history beautifully... everyone on this website needs to read your synopsis.

Brilliant.

I am looking forward to reading more of your posts.

Re: your perspective on Syria, I hadn't thought about the strategy that went into the approach. Very thought provoking post!

Even my politic-avoiding partner was impressed.

during that time. I didn't know how it would end, but I had the faith and trust in him, knowing that he didn't want to go to war, JUST as much as the loudest protesters here carried on about.

I'd add that no matter how rotten the right is against him, he never lowers himself to their level and always stays classy, in spite of their slimy ways. He refuses to lower his standards and so I know I can rely on him to be cool.

Maybe he'll surprise us with some more things, like decriminalizing the holy kind herb. Especially, if in 2014 we can get a more democratic congress.

It's the same reason I am patient and wait for more information to come out -- events have a way of unfolding that is sometimes surprising.

You and your family have a good weekend, DonRedwood.

He TOLD people he would do things they wouldn't like.

He plays the long game. Period. I'll take his strategy despite the short-term naysaying and handwringing any day.

Thank you Don.I could not have said that any better.

Your words in gods ear.

Keep up the good work, also might I suggest getting a cheap second computer.

(I really wanted most of all to see if I could spell irretrievably rite)

Best trap ever

Because the second Obama signs that, he should be out there with:

"OK. Now explain this to me again. You are laying off 800,000 workers to make some political point about Obamacare, even though everybody know this is a settled law and is proceeding at full steam. And now you have agreed that we are going to pay everybody anyway. So tell me why we're letting these workers sit at home when we are obligated to pay them anyway. If the taxpayers are paying those 800,000 salaries, I WANT THEM ON THE JOB --- NOW!"

Spot on! You rock.

Some other DUer said recently that President Obama has a way of letting the opposition push him exactly where he wants to be. I too stand amazed. For all its ills, this is a great time in history to be alive.

the TPP. I'm not that clever, but it seems to me that trap is going to slam shut on the American people. As in NAFTA redux.

Keystone XL pipeline? Never heard of it. What was NAFTA again? I forget. The letters RTT are rattling around somewhere. What was that? Chained CPI? I forget. ACA? Isn't that the one that requires the government to subsidize private insurance? Don't know for sure. Haven't federal employee salaries been frozen for two years prior to the furloughs, or am I just imagining that? The trap has snapped shut alright. The only question is "on whom?"

maybe the trap snapped your jumping the shark....?
I knew the teahadists wouldn't accept it, and so did our POTUS. He knew it was safe to do.

That was a needed shot in my brain. There is so much going on now and it's hard to guess where it's going. You made me step back and take a look and not feel so frustrated.

I am so glad he's the guy in charge!

I knew something very good had happened when his first action as president was to strike down the global gag rule, which had been killing and maiming and forcing children on women in destitute nations around the world.
It didn't get a whole lot of fanfare on DU because it's one of those women things: issues which only sporadically command wide attention here. Also, it impacted people far away, whose plight does not get any media attention. But that first act was hugely courageous. A direct, in your face readjustment of twisted values that had been put in place by repukes and crowed about by the bewsh scum.

i believe you are correct that he is a master politician. i also believe the history will be very kind to him.

to read. I so enjoyed someone able to say how clever and masterful Obama is and the reality of suspense sometimes, watching things unfold.

I've emailed this to several of my discouraged liberal friends. It's the shot in the arm we all needed. Thank you, Don!

that Obama is very skillful at strategically positioning his 'game pieces' in order to trap Republicans ( give them enough rope and they'll hang themselves ) and I applaud his political abilities and most of his efforts.

However, he did lose a lot of credibility, as far as I'm concerned, when he came on TV and lied about the NSA spying on American citizens by claiming that this was not occurring when in fact we know, thanks to recent revelations, that the NSA routinely violates the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution.

So beautifully stated~

but I think that there is some truth to it

"...and instead of trumpeting his greatness, Obama just quietly went back to his game of chess."

I think you're on to something, DonRedwood!!

Is the way it will not trip until a sufficently fat rat is in tange - witness the case of Trump the Rat and the Vault Copy.