Obama to Teachers: "Drop Dead!"

http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/mike-whitney/34482/obama-to-teachers-drop-dead

by Mike Whitney | February 20, 2011 - 9:38am

Teachers....These are the people who put Obama in office. They handed out the pamphlets, went from door to door, stuffed the envelopes, and manned the phone banks. They talked to people outside grocery stores, waved posters atop freeway overpasses, and organized neighborhood get-togethers. They attended the rallies and drew whatever they could from their meager paychecks to support the man who promised "change" and inspired "hope". They did everything a candidate could ask of his supporters, and more. And what have they gotten in return? A bigger war in Afghanistan, a renewal of the Patriot Act, a porno-scanning system at the airports, more blank checks for Wall Street, and a lot of empty posturing about Guantanamo.

And when their pay, and their pensions, and their jobs were on the line, Obama was no where to be found.

Poof! The vanishing president.

"unions are valuable but workers have to adjust to the new fiscal reality"

Sounds a lot like "drop dead" to me.

...by agreeing to an extension of the Bush tax cuts the payroll tax "holiday." All of it plays right into GOP hands.

:rofl:

...and he has helped exacerbate the deficit problem by agreeing to the extension of the Bush tax cuts. I didn't make that up out of thin air.

Obama wasn't president when Reagans guy under Bush decided "low" interest rates were a good thing, or when 9/11 happened, or during the Reagan years, or 1994, or etc.

:thumbsup:

And nevermind that he was answering an off-the-cuff question at an event in the early stages of the protests where he admitted to not yet being fully up to speed on the WI situation (As it is not normally the purview of the president) and gave a guarded answer, as a result.

You have seriously mastered that art.

I *want* him singing backup on an occasional number.

The man is so toxic that there are in effect now three political parties in this country, and two of them, albeit one of those is quite small -- the one that claims to be truly Democratic, and really progressive -- are convinced that the only thing standing between us and the Earthly Jerusalem is to get That Man out of the White House.

The PPCA is essentially the same health care reform Bob Dole (R-Kansas) ran on in '96. Obama gets it passed, it's the end of the Republic, just because he's Obama.

I would looooooooove some of this magic to be applied to the present situation in Wisconsin and elsewhere. I'm sure it would tip the balance of public opinion in favor of the unions.

Let the people lead, and the leaders will follow.

especially the Earthly Jerusalem line. You are 100% on point.

and what do you mean "the only thing standing between us and the Earthly Jerusalem"?

...to quote the old commercials.

No, but many of his critics are.

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:hi:

Can't advise you on the rules, though, sorry.

:hi:

To both of you with one post. I have lurked here forever ( since the beginning really) but never posted, so I am just getting the hang of it. But I feel as if I know all the regulars really well. Is that strange or what?

It's so sweet that I have been gifted with a bunch of hearts already on my first day. What a nice welcome. I will donate soon so I can send out some of my own, but I don't want to appear presumptuous.

I grew up in a two teacher household and married the son of a 30+ year auto worker. Was briefly a member of a union myself. But now a business owner (past 12 years) but founded my company on treating employees like people who need to make a living just like I do. I pay above average wages (and proud of it) and 100% of all benefits. No worker contribution required.

I can make a good middle-class living without making 4 x more than what my highest paid worker makes AND I can sleep at night. My employees don't need a union but lots of workers do. Go unions. Some companies have no conscience unless its forced on them.

Thank you DU (or at least most of you)!

I'd rather he stayed out of this actually. Another poster mentioned that his involvement would just make this a partisan lightning rod, I can't remember what thread I saw that in. Workers actions are supported by masses of *workers*. I'd rather if he took actions in the background like totally re-thinking the bankrupt social philosophy of RTTT & NCLB. That would be better.

:rofl:

We teachers managed without him and Arne for many years. We can manage without them now.

than I. Yet, you should not attribute things to him that he never said. Just saying.

-PLA

chickens right about now.

His grasp of economics and politics seems hazy at best.

...war crimes and bankster games under the rug.

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maybe Bernie challenging as an Independent? I know I am grasping for straws, but with what has happened the past two years, and the current union-busting, our situation is only getting closer to fascism.

Um, okay...

Yeah, I didn't think so.

Sid

:P

:hi:

Sid

:hi:

I also got a post deleted for asking questions about running a primary challenger against Obama.

how it should be.

The protesters need to stand up to assholes like Walker. Once Obama gets involved the workers movement loses all of its meaning.

I had to pinch myself and think, wow, it really HAS been 34 years since this hyperbolic headline.

I was amused by the posters in this thread who wanted to know where they could find the "quote" by Obama. FYI, there isn't a "quote" of Ford saying it, either:

Infamous ‘Drop Dead’ Was Never Said by Ford
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/28/nyregion/28veto.html

on edit:
"Abe" refers to Abraham Beame (D), NYC Mayor at the time.
"Carey" refers to Hugh Carey (D), NYS Governor at the time.