The 1% are doing better than ever.

More Americans are homeless, more children are hungry. And there's little hope in site.

From banker bailouts to pushing through Bush's "free" trade agreements, Obama's fierce advocacy for the wealthiest has paid big dividends - for the wealthiest.

Come the day after the election, we can expect the attacks on Social Security and all the other stuff to start anew.

Yes, Obama's better than current Republicans. But he's nothing to crow about.

Come 2014, my middle-aged brother will have health insurance for the first time in his adult life, thanks to President Obama. Because of the disasterous policies of the Bush administration, this has been a very deep recession, and as it dragged on, poverty and homelessness increased due to foreclosures. But think how much worse it would have been under McCain.

The "banker bailouts" you mention were under BUSH. President Obama has never attacked Social Security--he defended Social Security from Paul Ryan and the Republicans. And although the trade agreements he has made are far from perfect, they are way better than anything Bush ever did; they actually bring jobs to the U.S.

It is simply not true that 99% of Americans are "worse off" than when President Obama took office. Ask the GM autoworkers. He IS something to crow about.

I'm sorry you have so little hope. I think his next four years are going to be even better, especially if we get more Democrats elected to congress. But that will never happen if negative people such as yourself keep bashing the President and depress the vote.

assistance for a family of four is not adequate nutritional assistance... We need to come to terms with the priorities in this country. Watching the elite in Washington tell us this is the best they can do is not being truthful....


And some people have found this a banker bail out. Obama Goes All Out For Dirty Banker Deal

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2011/08/25-0

A power play is underway in the foreclosure arena, according to the New York Times.


Eric Schneiderman and President Barack Obama. (Michael Nagle/Getty Images and JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)
On the one side is Eric Schneiderman, the New York Attorney General, who is conducting his own investigation into the era of securitizations – the practice of chopping up assets like mortgages and converting them into saleable securities – that led up to the financial crisis of 2007-2008.

On the other side is the Obama administration, the banks, and all the other state attorneys general.

This second camp has cooked up a deal that would allow the banks to walk away with just a seriously discounted fine from a generation of fraud that led to millions of people losing their homes.

Our safety net sucks, but that's no reason to bash Obama. That's a reason to make sure he gets re-elected so it doesn't get completely eviscerated under a Republican president. And speaking about being truthful...

The recent mortgage settlement, which by no means settles all of the claims against the banks--just the robo signing fraud--is just not a "banker bail out." Your link goes to an outdated story. Much has changed since August of 2011 when Matt Taibi wrote that story. For one thing, the newly elected Attorney General of CA, Kamala Harris, held out for and got a LOT more money as well as the right to go after the banks for the fraud that led to the financial industry collapse in 2008 (despite the fact that, as you put it, she's on the "other side" with the banks and the Obama administration ). If you want to know what the $25 Billion mortgage robo signing settlement was all about and how people can apply for the money, here's a link:

http://www.nationalmortgagesettlement.com/

As that site points out under "Frequently Asked Questions":

The agreement holds the banks accountable for their wrongdoing on robo-signing and mortgage servicing. This settlement does not seek to hold them responsible for all their wrongs over the past five years.

The agreement and its release preserve legal options for others to pursue. Governmental entities and private parties are aggressively pursuing securities cases against the banks. A joint federal-state task force has been formed to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the collapse of the mortgage lending and investment markets.

Seriously, there are plenty of villains to go after in this country. President Obama is not one of them. Irresponsibly bashing the President will depress the vote and get another Republican elected.

Rep. Conyers: "Obama Demanded Social Security Cuts--Not GOP"

Obama announced his intention to mess with Social Security shortly before his inauguration, then promptly after inauguration appointed a commission (Simpson-Bowles) designed to slash benefits. They recommended a $50,000 cut in lifetime benefits for the average recipient over time. Obama immediately rejected Simpson-Bowles' call for cuts in military spending, but remained silent on slashing $50,000 from each beneficiary. Then during the fully-fake debt-ceiling "crisis" Obama offered or possibly demanded deep cuts in Social Security, as Rep. Conyers indicated.

The Banker Bailouts were pushed by Bush and the Democrats (led by Obama). Few Republicans voted for the Banker Bailouts. Obama continued to work diligently to support banker bonuses once in office - distributing the second half of TARP, signing a Christmas Eve order granting unlimited taxpayer support for Fanny Mae and Freddy Mac losses, and so forth.

The three Obama-Bush "free" trade agreements passed last November are projected to kill hundreds of thousands of US jobs.

And civil rights.... out the window. Expansion of warrantless wiretapping, claims that citizens can be executed on his word alone, or arrested and held forever without judicial review, etc.

Obama has probably been better than McCain would have been, but he's no FDR. Do you know that in FDR's first term unemployment dropped by 40%, and GDP grew at something like 8% per year?

In the end, the 1% are doing better than ever under Obama, while the rest of us have been hung out to dry.

Look, of course it would be great if he did more. He would have done a LOT more if he had a filibuster proof Dem majority in the Senate. He had it for a split second then it was gone. He had to slog all of his major accomplishments through with all those Repigs filibustering him at every step. FDR had massive, filibuster-proof Dem majorities in both houses of Congres, so your FDR comparison is totally unfair.

To not even acknowledge the tremendous things President Obama did do is just plain wrong. He is saving my brother's life with the Affordable Care Act. You may not give a shit, but it's a BIG FUCKING DEAL to me. And it's something we could have had in the early seventies but for Dem purists like yourself--and in particular Ted Kennedy, who refused to compromise to save thousands of American lives. So, my brother has spent the last 30 years without health insurance. His teeth got so bad he pulled one of them out with a pair of plyers. Of course, he got a massive infection that required emergency room treatment. But hay, Ted Kennedy stood his ground! Like you, Manny.

Sorry you didn't like the Korean trade deal. Others did and have a very different opinion as to its effects. http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2011/10/14/us-south-korea-trade-deal-a-win-win-for-jobs-economy

And others, like me, appreciated President Obama taking a stand to protect Social Security, even if Rep. Conyers maligned him last summer in that 7/27/11 op ed piece you cite.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/07/22/remarks-president

I agree that the current health insurance reform plan is better than nothing, and I'm very, very thankful that it's helping your brother. But it does virtually nothing to actually reduce the absurd cost of health care in the US, which is why Obama has recommended that the eligibility age for Medicare be raised to 67. That would harm many, many people.

Yes, it would harm people to raise the age, not to mention worsen unemployment, but President Obama is not calling for raising the eligibility age to 67. Enought with the old articles from last summer's back and forth chess game that went nowhere. What is without question happening now is that the Repigs ARE trying to destroy Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security--and repeal the ACA. Obama is doing his best to push back. By bashing Obama with what sound like Fox News talking points, you are depressing the vote this November and helping the Repigs.

Yes, the ACA could have been better. We should have single payer. If we had gotten the ACA back in the early seventies, we'd have a much better chance at single payer now. But that ain't what happened. Hell, we just lost a single payer vote here in blue CA--with a Dem state leg and a Dem Gov. So we've got to deal with the reality we have now.

Please, turn your rightious rage against the Republicans, not Obama. Use your powers for good.

M. Obama doesn't seem to know much about the Constitution? (Natl Defense Auth Act and Patriot Act renewal)

Agree.. I never would have thought the attack on Social Security would come from a Dem? Whether used as a bargaining chip or whatever.. he seems much to earger to "cut a deal" with the Repugs on SS.

I hope I'm wrong ....

Why do you post on this site? I'm so tired of your Obama bashing. That is all you do. If you're not going to support our president I don't believe you belong here.

Watching a big part of DU act the same way toward Obama as FR did to C+ Augustus is frustrating to some, I can't say I'm surprised but there are people here who didn't expect it.

Judging by his/her choice in names I suspect Manny is not surprised, that really is a brilliant handle.

I'm reminded of the old joke about getting Democrats all on the same page as being akin to herding cats.

I campaigned for Obama and contributed to him, backed him on DU during the Clinton/Obama infighting.

He promised good, delivered other. A "Democrat" attacking Social Security while passing job-destroying "free" trade agreements? That's nuts.

I'm tired of this Triangulation Uber Alles garbage - it has destroyed our country. We need to take back our Party.

Until there's a name change to "ObamaUnderground", "ThirdWayUnderground", "TriangulationUnderground" or the like - I feel I have as much right to be here as any other person who calls themselves a Democrat.

it was like during the previous 8 years (clinton) before dufus (bushthelesser) got in office and what he did to us for eight years before Obama got in there and what he is trying to do and what the republicons are trying not to do. Pukes is the party of the rich and thats it.

Look at government spending after the Reagan 1982 recession vs spending after the 2008 recession.



Repubs have been working overtime to sabotage Obama's stimulus efforts. In 1982, Dems weren't out to make Reagan fail.

Thanks for the post.

They like stand with their fingers in their ears saying la la la la la la la la la la la la. I think the latter is probably more accurate.