I hope he stands up to the McConnell turtle whose only wish was to make Obama a one term President and block everything on his agenda.

GObama!

"Irrelevant" They were proved wrong then and will be once again.

D*mn right, and I haven't heard that battle cry for some time...... GOBAMA, GOBAMA, GOBAMA.

Call their bluff, then let them implode!

craps sake. One of the Worst conspiracies EV-AR.. Of course getting beau coup recs on DU.. Talk about "Brawaaaaaaaaaa "

Obama Doubles Down On Immigration, Keystone Pipeline~On the Road with Aung San Kyl in Myanmar

"Speaking to reporters alongside famous opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, President Obama was adamant that, despite mounting GOP objections, he will move forward and take executive action to reform the immigration system by the end of the year because reforms are “way overdue.”

“I gave the House over a year to go ahead and at least give a vote to the Senate bill. They failed to do so and I indicated to Speaker Boehner several months ago that if, in fact, Congress failed to act, I would use all the lawful authority that I possess to try to make the system work better, and that's going to happen,” he said."

snip//

In some of his strongest language yet, Obama pushed back against the Republican argument that the pipeline is a “massive jobs bill for the United States.”

“Understand what this project is: It is providing the ability of Canada to pump their oil, send it through our land, down to the Gulf, where it will be sold everywhere else. It doesn't have an impact on US gas prices,” he said, growing visibly frustrated.

“If my Republican friends really want to focus on what's good for the American people in terms of job creation and lower energy costs, we should be engaging in a conversation about what are we doing to produce even more homegrown energy? I'm happy to have that conversation,” he continued.

MOre..
http://abcnews.go.com/US/obama-doubles-immigration-keystone-pipeline/story?id=26905484


Tribal activists staged a protest against the Keystone XL Pipeline during President Barack Obama's visit to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota in June

snip//

President Barack Obama said the Keystone XL Pipeline won't create as many jobs as supporters claim as the House prepares to vote today on a bill to approve the controversial project.

During his visit to Myanmar, Obama also said the pipeline won't lead to lower energy costs for Americans. At the same time, the White House stopped short of saying the president will veto the bill that Republicans are pushing.

MOre..
http://www.indianz.com/News/2014/015651.asp

The republicans have made it clear they aren't interested in solving problems.

Actions speak louder than words.

Too bad he didn't get his mojo on in 2009 and 2010 when he had a Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. He (and Congress) could have done much more then. Why do Democrats only seem to fight when they're mostly hamstrung? It almost seems intentional (*sarcasm*).

.. My biggest complaint is that the Pres didn't use his political capital earlier... when he had a lot more.

I think he forgot that spending political capital can get you more political capital.

that the Democratic caucus held a majority in congress, President Obama could have done so much more than healthcare financing reform (70 years in the making), Lily Ledbetter (40 years in the making), DADT (20 years in the making), DOMA (20 years in the making) and the rest of what this administration has accomplished, against historic opposition from both the right and the left.

roughly 200 accomplishments(a simple google search but you've hit on the highlights).. if only his "mojo" were faster faster faster.

This is infuriating!! Let's all try to remember this AGAIN:

Democrats did not have a fillibuster-proof majority for any significant amount of time -- that's a damned lie.

January 20, 2009 - After suffering a seizure during Barack Obama's inaugural luncheon, Senator Kennedy’s health forced him to retreat to Massachusetts.

April 28, 2009 news outlets issued the following report: Republican Sen. Arlen Specter has switched parties, which would give Democrats a filibuster-proof 60 seats.

Despite the fact that the media hailed the party switch of Arlen Specter and claimed it gave Democrats a filibuster-proof Senate, the Minnesota seat still remained vacant. The Senate had 57 Democratic members and 2 Independents. Technically, the Senate was two members short, but I'm counting Senator Kennedy even though he was at home ill because he did cast a vote in June. 59

May 15, 2009 Senator Robert Byrd was admitted to the hospital reducing the number of sitting Senators to 56 Democratic members and 2 Independents. 58

July 7, 2009 Al Franken (D) was sworn in after the election dispute over the Minnesota seat was decided in his favor. Senator Kennedy continued to recuperate at his home in Massachusetts and was unable to cast any more votes; Senator Byrd was still in the hospital. The Senate had 56 sitting Democratic members and 2 Independents. 58

July 21, 2009 Senator Byrd returned to the Senate making the count 59 seats. No Senator Kennedy.

Senator Kennedy died August 25, 2009.

The Kennedy seat was vacant from August 25 - September 24 when Paul G. Kirk was appointed to occupy his seat until the completion of a special election. The swearing-in of Kirk gave the Democrats a 60-seat majority.

Democrats had a 60 seat majority from September 24, 2009 thru February 4, 2010 when Republican Scott Brown got the Kirk/Kennedy seat. 4 months!!

This does not account for the number of days Congress was not even in session during that time. If one subtracts the number of days Congress was out, the time that President Obama had a Democratic majority in Congress is further reduced by more than 30 days, or another full month.

Of a possible 94 legislative days during that period, the Senate was only in session for 67 days, while the House only labored for 54 days.

Additionally: Lieberman, Nelson, Landreau, and Lincoln, may have caucused with the Democrats but they voted with the Republicans.

For example, the income tax rates could have been completely restructured using just the simple majority that they had throughout 2009 and 2010. With just 50 Senators plus 1 vote from the VP in the Senate together with 50% in the House they could have eliminated the Bush tax cuts and even could have put income tax rates back to what they were before Reagan when the top marginal rate was 70%.

The way they could have done this was through the budget reconciliation process, which cannot be filibustered. This would have required no changes to congressional rules, no nuclear option, just using the rules as they have been used for several decades. Here is a list of major legislation that was done through budget reconciliation and therefore never had to clear a 60 vote hurdle:

• Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 1980, Pub.L. 96–499 (1980)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981, Pub.L. 97–35 (1981)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1982, Pub.L. 97–253 (1982)
  
• Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982 (TEFRA), Pub.L. 97–248 (1982)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1983, Pub.L. 98–270 (1984)
  
• Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985 (COBRA), Pub.L. 99–272 (1986)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1986, Pub.L. 99–509 (1986)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987, Pub.L. 100–203 (1987)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1989, Pub.L. 101–239 (1989)
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990, Pub.L. 101–508 (1990).
  
• Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1993, Pub.L. 103–66 (1993).
  
• Balanced Budget Act of 1995, H.R. 2491 (vetoed December 6, 1995)
  
• Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act, Pub.L. 104-193 (1996)
  
• Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Pub.L. 105–33 (1997)
  
• Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997, Pub.L. 105–34 (1997)
  
• Taxpayer Refund and Relief Act of 1999, H.R. 2488 (vetoed September 23, 1999)
  
• Marriage Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2000, H.R. 4810 (vetoed August 5, 2000)
  
• Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001 (EGTRRA), Pub.L. 107–16 (2001)
  
• Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003, Pub.L. 108–27 (2003)
  
• Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, Pub.L. 109–171 (2006)
  
• Tax Increase Prevention and Reconciliation Act of 2005 (TIPRA), Pub.L. 109–222 (2006)
  
• College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, Pub.L. 110–84 (2007)
  
• Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, Pub.L. 111–152 (2010)

didn't have the same message BEFORE November 4th.

...these republican clowns were "elected" by less than 20% of all registered voters (35% turnout, figure 55% "majority, that's 19%!!!)

As noted above, he's not running again and there are no more Congressional elections between now and 2016, so he should be defiant and do what the people elected him to do - and those republicans be damned.

LET THEM IMPEACH! They'll never get close to 2/3 of the Senate to convict, and they'll make abject idiots out of themselves in the process. We flipped the Senate in the recent past, they flipped it this year. It can and will flip again if the republicans do what they say they'll do.

By the way, they can't gerrymander Senate "districts"!!!

"Go ahead and talk about your mandate and all the votes you got. Well, I will put MY vote count in EITHER election, 2008 OR 2012, up against ANY of yours, ANY DAY. Try and match me, assholes."

OWN it, Mr. President!!!! And STRUT it around! RUB IT IN, Mr. President. Keep 'em in their place!

In-yer-face, CONS!!!!!

With LOTS and LOTS of LUV-LUV-LUV!!!!


(Too bad there isn't a smilie for "FUCK YOU IN THE HEART - if you had one!&quot

Now if he'll just follow it up.

Just watching them get red faced with fury will make me happy.

had been the only thing they've done since he took office.

I agree though that watching two more years of this will warm the heart.

I also share your hope that he follows through. No reason for him not to. Someone in a similar thread opined that this approach might scotch chances for whatever Dem runs in 2016. That's bullshit, IMHO.

At very least it will energize people on our side to come out and vote.

Acting like a Democrat is never a bad thing. Acting like the lite version of a Republican is sure to lose us elections as we saw recently.

Running away from your party's accomplishments is stupid. A hell of a lot more Democrats might've shown up at polls earlier this month had they been reminded of why they bothered to show up in 2012.

"Oh, his poll numbers are low!"...yeah, like every president before him at this point in their second term.

No one seems to bother with his accomplishments.

I've been disappointed with him at times, but then, who is ever fully satisfied with any president or any congressperson or any elected official.

We need to move forward and to the LEFT...not weenie our way Rightward in a foolish attempt to please people who will never vote for anyone with a D after their name.

We didn't lose because the country wants things to move toward the Right, we lost because most of the voters stayed home. Apathy is the enemy, not a democratic agenda.

And thank you for your kind words.

had a hard time keeping up the charade of all this faux outrage.

Now brought to you from afar.

And, yes, Obama is having a very good week....that could be the real cause this time.

but *hope* he stands firm.

... you took the words right out of my mouth.

I have serious doubts, but would be overjoyed to be wrong.

rope-a-dope. Chess. And all the other nonsense attributed to Obama's superior negotiating skills.

The congress is useless. I wish the President hadn't waited until after the election to act though. He shouldn't have provided cover for people running away from our democratic platform.

in 2009 up until now?

A perfect response

We could have used that to get single payer or at least the public option.

NOW he gets it?

I think the Repubs would be much more conciliatory right now.

Fuck the GOP.

I fear we will soon hear noises about "reaching across the aisle" and "bipartisan cooperation" once again. I wish he had taken a harder, more partisan line years ago.

...where I hear someone say that and I respond I have the following for sale;

word one to the contrary...

He should tell the American people the Republicans are no longer considered partners in making progress.

On the Keystone pipeline, he would throw this back at the Koch brothers and their hired sock puppets. "Give me a system that will result in the reduction of greenhouse carbon at least three times the amount of carbon that will be released through that pipeline and you can have your pipeline."

The problem with Obama is that he never puts HIS position forward, so it is always just a matter of time before he caves.

By turning this into the real issue, which is climate impact, and by offering the pipeline proponents a reasonable path to have their pipeline, he can win this deal. If this resulted in a cap-and-trade that offset far more than the carbon from these tar sands, 90% of the environmentalists should be OK with that.