The Obama Presidency - 2008 & 2012

[Edward64]

Good old North Korean insults. Hasn't gone on as long as Cuba but NK has been an albatross for a while now, wish Obama would do something about them.

I do find it hard to believe that NK has the sophistication and ability to hack into Sony (but was it really a hack or they paid someone off?).

2 of the 3 axis of evil are still around. I think this one really deserves to go and find it incredible that this guy has not been offed yet by someone in his military, inner circle etc.

North Korea Insults Obama, Blames U.S. For Internet Outages - NBC News

North Korea on Saturday accused the U.S. of shutting down internet service to the country in retaliation for its alleged hacking attack on Sony, and referred to President Barack Obama as "a monkey" in blaming him for the release of "The Interview."

An unnamed spokesman for the Policy Department of the National Defense Commission denied that North Korea was involved in the cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment, as the FBI has claimed. North Korea also accused the U.S. of orchestrating the internet outages that occurred in the isolated country this week.

"In actuality, the U.S., a big country, started disturbing the internet operation of major media of the DPRK (the Democratic People's Republic of Korea) not knowing shame like children playing a tag," the statement distributed by state-run media said. Two U.S. officials have told NBC News that the United States had no role in the internet outages.

North Korea also blamed Obama for the release of "The Interview," a Seth Rogen comedy that depicts the fictional assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Obama had criticized Sony after the company said it would not release the film after major theaters refused to show it amid threats from hackers; it was eventually released to smaller theaters and online.

"Obama always goes reckless in words and deeds like a monkey in a tropical forest," the statement said. It also accused the U.S. of "gangster-like arbitrary practices" and warned "the U.S. should bear in mind that its failed political affairs will face inescapable deadly blows."

[Edward64]

Jeb v Hillary (but article didn't mention Romney) should be fun. Political dynasties in the making.

Poll: Bush surges to 2016 GOP frontrunner - CNN.com

Washington (CNN) -- Jeb Bush is the clear Republican presidential frontrunner, surging to the front of the potential GOP pack following his announcement that he's "actively exploring" a bid, a new CNN/ORC poll found.

He takes nearly one-quarter — 23% — of Republicans surveyed in the new nationwide poll, putting him 10 points ahead of his closest competitor, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who tallied 13%.

Physician Ben Carson comes in third, with 7% support, and Sen. Rand Paul and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee are both tied for fourth with 6%.

That marks a drop in support for all but Christie and Bush from the last CNN/ORC survey of the field, conducted in November. That poll showed Bush in the lead, but only taking 14% of the vote, while Carson came in second with 11% and Christie tied Rep. Paul Ryan for fourth with 9% support.

Bush's 10-point lead is a milestone for the potential GOP field — it marks the first time any prospective candidate has reached a lead beyond a poll's margin of error in the past two years.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is still far and away the favorite to take the Democratic nomination for president if she runs, with the support of two-thirds of Democrats polled. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a liberal favorite, comes in a distant second place with just 9%.

[DaddyTorgo]

Political dynasties aren't "fun" - they're the LAST thing that we as "ordinary people" should be looking forward to.

[Solecismic]

Around this time four years ago all the way until he announced he wasn't a candidate, Mike Huckabee often led Romney in Republican polls. I don't put a lot of stock in anything at this stage. T-minus 18 months is mostly about getting a campaign structure and funding in place.

My gut says America really doesn't want another Bush. I know I don't.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Solecismic

My gut says America really doesn't want another Bush. I know I don't.

Eh, at least in the primary stage, I think we just want a candidate we can actually get behind. If the last name is Bush, Reagan, or Rumplestiltskin, fine by me.

For that matter the name could be Hank Clinton, Kwame Roosevelt or Monica Biden ... just be a candidate that doesn't inspire eye rolls, nausea or deep dark depression.

[Edward64]

Took the quiz and found that overall, I closest match with Christie at 50%, Obama, Hillary & Jeb at 38%, Rand Paul at 30% and lowest with Ted Cruz at 28%. Romney wasn't listed.

I had the strongest social affinity with Christie (by far) and strongest economic with Ben Carson. Have to start paying attention to Christie.

VoteMatch Quiz

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Took the quiz and found that overall, I closest match with Christie at 50%, Obama, Hillary & Jeb at 38%, Rand Paul at 30% and lowest with Ted Cruz at 28%. Romney wasn't listed.

I had the strongest social affinity with Christie (by far) and strongest economic with Ben Carson. Have to start paying attention to Christie.

VoteMatch Quiz

Just for kicks I did the same quiz (hadn't done one in a while, I figured why not)

Highest overall score?
68% total with ... Jeb (70% social, 65% economic)
Ted Cruz got a 58%, no other GOP candidate gets more than a 55%.

Now if I refigure and leave several questions (like abortion) as no opinion (based on eliminating issues that really aren't a factor in my voting) ...

Cruz gets a 58%, Jeb gets a 50% ... and no other candidate even does that well.

See why I don't care what the last name is?

[Solecismic]

For me, Bernie Sanders is up there, even though I match 0% with him on the economy. Ted Cruz is #1, though around 40%. I don't think Ted Cruz is all that interesting.

In other words, whatever winds up as president, I'm probably unhappy.

I would like better candidates in general. We're recycling names because the process itself eliminates anyone with any integrity.

I was sad Jon Huntsman flamed out so early last time. He was someone I think I could have voted for. In the end, I might well vote for Hillary just because if I'm going to be unhappy policy-wise no matter what, I think it would be cool to have a woman president.

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Now if I refigure and leave several questions (like abortion) as no opinion (based on eliminating issues that really aren't a factor in my voting) ...

I retook it and left questions that weren't that important to me as no opinion. Christie and Carson came up as my top 2 and Cruz was second from the bottom. I see a pattern here.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I retook it and left questions that weren't that important to me as no opinion. Christie and Carson came up as my top 2 and Cruz was second from the bottom. I see a pattern here.

The surprise to me on this one was how poorly Carson fared with me, a quick look at the positions they attribute to him suggested that perhaps he may have fallen in the scoring (for me) due to a lack of positions on several issues.

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Took the quiz and found that overall, I closest match with Christie at 50%, Obama, Hillary & Jeb at 38%, Rand Paul at 30% and lowest with Ted Cruz at 28%. Romney wasn't listed.

I had the strongest social affinity with Christie (by far) and strongest economic with Ben Carson. Have to start paying attention to Christie.

VoteMatch Quiz

My top matches:
48% Scott Keller (whoever that is)
40% for Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul

[Edward64]

Formal "end", not sure if he should used the word "responsibly", it will come back to haunt him if bad things happen.

Given with where things are and with what happened in Iraq, keeping US "support" troops in Afghanistan is the right thing to do.

Not a 100% pullout but still pretty good (at least I would consider this a pledge mostly fulfilled).

Obama marks end of combat in Afghanistan - CNN.com

Honolulu (CNN) -- Thirteen years and more than 2,000 American casualties after it began, the war in Afghanistan will conclude responsibly, President Barack Obama said on Sunday.

In a written statement marking the formal end of U.S. combat there, Obama said the remaining 10,000 or so American troops in Afghanistan would still face danger but that the longest U.S. war ever was now history.

"Our personnel will continue to face risks, but this reflects the enduring commitment of the United States to the Afghan people and to a united, secure and sovereign Afghanistan that is never again used as a source of attacks against our nation," Obama said.

American troops went to fight in Afghanistan following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and the U.S. spent more than $1 trillion dollars there and lost upwards of 2,200 servicemen and women.

Obama vowed to wind the Afghan war down when he took office, eventually announcing this year he would reduce the number of troops stationed there to about 10,000 — a massive reduction from the nearly 150,000 who once served.

[Izulde]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Took the quiz and found that overall, I closest match with Christie at 50%, Obama, Hillary & Jeb at 38%, Rand Paul at 30% and lowest with Ted Cruz at 28%. Romney wasn't listed.

I had the strongest social affinity with Christie (by far) and strongest economic with Ben Carson. Have to start paying attention to Christie.

VoteMatch Quiz

My top was 58% with Bernie

[ISiddiqui]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Took the quiz and found that overall, I closest match with Christie at 50%, Obama, Hillary & Jeb at 38%, Rand Paul at 30% and lowest with Ted Cruz at 28%. Romney wasn't listed.

I had the strongest social affinity with Christie (by far) and strongest economic with Ben Carson. Have to start paying attention to Christie.

VoteMatch Quiz

Obama 78%
(Social 75%, Economic 80%)

Hillary 58%
(Social 65%, Economic 50%)

Biden 55%
(Social 60%, Economic 50%)


Good thing I was already voting Hillary . Though Obama wins out big in Social and Economic, surprisingly.

[Galaxy]

Putin's economic strategy involves:

Putin orders vodka price cap as Russia’s economic crisis escalates - The Globe and Mail

[flere-imsaho]

Wonder if Ted Cruz still thinks Putin is a great leader.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

Good thing I was already voting Hillary . Though Obama wins out big in Social and Economic, surprisingly.

Obama 63%
(Social 65%, Economic 60%)

Sanders 53%
(Social 60%, Economic 45%)

Biden 50%
(Social 55%, Economic 45%)

Clinton 48%
(Social 50%, Economic 45%)


Cruz brings up the rear with 5%/5%/5%

In a Biden/Clinton race I'd still probably vote Clinton.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Good old North Korean insults. Hasn't gone on as long as Cuba but NK has been an albatross for a while now, wish Obama would do something about them.

The best thing the U.S. can do about NK is make it China's problem. NK is, after all, basically a client state of China (in that it's dependent on China for everything up to and including its continuing existence).

What I hope is happening is that the Obama Administration is using NK to troll the Chinese (diplomatically, of course). As in "I dunno, guys, now Kim is saying XXXX. We may have no choice but to do $thingchinadoesn'twant."

Remember, NK represents an existential threat to no one, not even South Korea, although SK would be heavily overrun in an initial invasion before NK was pushed back. And in such a worst-case scenario, China comes out far, far worse on the world stage than the U.S. for a) not keeping its client in line, b) from suffering the inevitable economic impact from the disruption in the area and c) having to rebuild/support NK once the hostilities died down.

2 of the 3 axis of evil are still around. I think this one really deserves to go and find it incredible that this guy has not been offed yet by someone in his military, inner circle etc.

As I recall from the news over the years since he took over, he actually proactively got rid of his likely challengers. And the ruling regime has always taken care of its top brass. Anyone still left with the werewithal to take out Kim is probably 110% loyal at this point.

[JPhillips]

[NobodyHere]

I wonder how many of the newly insured can afford their deductibles.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by NobodyHere

I wonder how many of the newly insured can afford their deductibles.

Probably more than could afford the cost of medical services while uninsured. Just guessing.

[Warhammer]

I wonder how much of that is due to the improving economy. That graph starts after the economy was in the tank.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by Warhammer

I wonder how much of that is due to the improving economy. That graph starts after the economy was in the tank.

I'm sure the economy is part of it, but the significant drop just as the Exchange Plans (and Medicaid Expansion) roll out seems a bit causal, too.

Edit: Here's the unemployment rate, for comparison:



As you can see, unemployment was steadily improving through the same period, while uninsured rates continued to rise. They only started to drop as the above mentioned ACA provisions took affect.

[flere-imsaho]

In other news: Boehner maintains House Speaker post despite biggest revolt in a century | US news | The Guardian


There's a lot of talk about how the GOP's going to have a pitched battle with Obama over the next 2 years, but with a thin majority in the Senate and robust dissident groups in both chambers it seems likely that there'll be more fireworks in their own caucus than with the President.

[Thomkal]

Will Republicans bar Obama from State of the Union address? - MarketWatch

I'm sure the President is not going to be thrilled to walk into a Republican controlled House and give a speech that will fall on mostly deaf ears anyway...

[ISiddiqui]

It would literally be one of the the stupidest things the Republicans could possibly do. It would make the shutdown look like genius.

Though thankfully it's just moronic talking heads and not actual Congresspeople saying so.

[albionmoonlight]

Originally Posted by ISiddiqui

It would literally be one of the the stupidest things the Republicans could possibly do. It would make the shutdown look like genius.

Though thankfully it's just moronic talking heads and not actual Congresspeople saying so.

Yeah, it would be a 100% political win for the President and have no impact whatsoever on anything policywise.

The discussion is some nice free red meat for the base, but the GOP leadership is way too smart to actually do it.

[albionmoonlight]

dola:

Though if I were the President, I might not pass up the opportunity to tweak Boehner a bit with the Tea Party. Before he starts his speech, he can specifically thank Speaker Boehner for the invitation to come present the speech. "It means a lot to me, John, that you invited me here and provided me with this platform to discuss the state of our union with Congress and the American people."

[Edward64]

I like it as an investment if the costs are not prohibitive. Not sure if community is same as vocational but would support vocational as well. Let's see the nos.

Obama To Propose Free Community College Program

The White House on Thursday announced a proposal that President Barack Obama said would make community college "free for everybody who is willing to work for it." But administration officials provided no details about the program's costs or where the money would come to pay for it.

Obama planned to formally announce the plan Friday at Pellissippi State Community College in Knoxville, Tennessee. He gave a preview in a videotaped message shot aboard Air Force One and posted on Facebook.

"It's not just for kids," Obama said. "We also have to make sure that everybody has the opportunity to constantly train themselves for better jobs, better wages, better benefits."

Obama provided few specifics, and White House and Education Department officials on a conference call with reporters Thursday evening said the funding details would come out later with the president's budget.

The White House did say that if all states participated, that nine million students could benefit — saving on average $3,800 in tuition per year for a full-time student. That means the program could cost in the billions of dollars. In a Republican-led Congress, the proposal likely faces a tough legislative fight to be passed.

"With no details or information on the cost, this seems more like a talking point than a plan," said Cory Fritz, press secretary for House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio.

Under the proposal, participating students would be expected to maintain a modest grade point average and participating schools would have to meet certain academic requirements. States would opt in to the program and put up a fraction of the funding.

"Put simply, what I'd like to do is to see the first two years of community college free for everybody who is willing to work for it," the president said.

David Baime, vice president for government relations at the American Association of Community Colleges, called the plan an "extraordinary" investment. He said the essence of the proposal is to reduce the cost of attending community college and "that is a concept that we heartily endorse."

Last year, Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam signed into law a scholarship program using lottery funding that provides free community and technical college tuition for two years to the state's high school graduates.

The scholarship program faced opposition in Tennessee from some of the state's private colleges and legislators concerned that the program could potentially divert students and scholarship dollars from four-year schools. Haslam has said the program will increase the pool of students going to college.

The White House said its proposal was inspired by the Tennessee plan and another similar program in Chicago.

[JPhillips]

It's pretty clearly a preview for the State of the Union. Because it's Obama's idea, it won't get through Congress.

[flere-imsaho]

Originally Posted by albionmoonlight

Though if I were the President, I might not pass up the opportunity to tweak Boehner a bit with the Tea Party. Before he starts his speech, he can specifically thank Speaker Boehner for the invitation to come present the speech. "It means a lot to me, John, that you invited me here and provided me with this platform to discuss the state of our union with Congress and the American people."

This is essentially the kind of thing for which I'm hoping over the next two years (plus a SCOTUS replacement or two). The GOP aren't going to let him do anything anyway, and indications are they're going to fight amongst themselves almost as much, so why not just spend two years trolling them and making them even angrier at each other?

[stevew]

Romney 2016 is apparently a thing.

[Kodos]

It was so fun the last time!

[molson]

Like Hillary, he'd be the 2nd oldest president ever at inauguration. Still pretty damn handsome though!

[Edward64]

Romney was someone I could have supported other than his backing away from his own/similar healthcare reform legacy. So I'll look forward to any updated positions as Obamacare is reality now.

The Romney vs Bush battle will be entertaining. I guess this puts everyone else as a distant third or worse.

Romney to GOP donors: ‘I want to be president.’ - The Washington Post

Mitt Romney forcefully declared his interest in a third presidential run to a room full of powerful Republican donors Friday, disrupting the fluid 2016 GOP field as would-be rival Jeb Bush was moving swiftly to consolidate establishment support.

Romney, the 2012 Republican nominee, has been mulling another campaign for several months, but his comments Friday marked a clear step forward in his thinking and come amid mounting tensions between the Romney and Bush camps.

“I want to be president,” Romney told about 30 donors in New York. He said that his wife, Ann — who last fall said she was emphatically against a run — had changed her mind and was now “very encouraging,” although their five sons remain split, according to multiple attendees.

[JPhillips]

I'm obviously anti-Mitt, but I think the legacy of being the first Mormon president is very important to him.

[stevew]

Romney wants it to be one way. But it's the other way

[JonInMiddleGA]

Useless malleable git on the first go-round, usless malleable git now.

If he's the nominee, what's the fucking point?

[Edward64]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Useless malleable git on the first go-round, usless malleable git now.

I think everyone is a malleable git one way or another. Don't think that should exclude him. I don't think his record is bad as governor and his record as businessman is great. His view on the "little people" may be questionable.

Was Mitt Romney a Good Governor? - The Atlantic

Was Romney actually a terrible governor of Massachusetts, or was this all politics? Naturally, the reality is not as simple as either side would like to claim.

Romney can't be accused of leaving the state in a shambles, local experts say, and his tenure was by no means a disaster. He left the state with one towering accomplishment -- universal health care, an achievement neither Romney nor Obama likes to mention now. But Romney fell short of his campaign pledge to change the state's political culture, stymied by a combination of entrenched interests and his own failure to cultivate relationships. And his naked positioning for national office in the latter part of his one term left a bad taste in many mouths.

[DaddyTorgo]

CENTCOM Twitter account hacked, suspended - CNN.com

This inspires a lot of confidence in our cyber-defense.

[cartman]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

CENTCOM Twitter account hacked, suspended - CNN.com

This inspires a lot of confidence in our cyber-defense.

Unless the Pentagon is hosting the Twitter and YouTube servers, which I doubt.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by cartman

Unless the Pentagon is hosting the Twitter and YouTube servers, which I doubt.

Of course not - but it does sort of make our whole cyber-security setup (private and public) look like amateur hour IMO.

Like...Twitter and YouTube don't spend enough on cyber-security to defeat a bunch of ____________ (insert whatever term you want to use here).

[Edward64]

Not good. When I first read about AG representing the US, I was thinking that can't be right, too low level. Kerry or Biden would have been the minimum. What a mess.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/01/12/politi...sis/index.html

Washington (CNN)—The Obama administration doesn't often admit it messed up.

But the White House is cutting its losses as stateside critics accuse President Barack Obama of snubbing America's oldest ally by not joining -- or at least sending a high ranking official -- to a huge anti-terror march that produced some of the most evocative scenes on the streets of Paris since World War II.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest acknowledged "we should have sent someone with a higher profile," not even trying to justify the fact that largely unknown U.S. ambassador Jane Hartley was the top American official at Sunday's events.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Edward64

Romney was someone I could have supported other than his backing away from his own/similar healthcare reform legacy. So I'll look forward to any updated positions as Obamacare is reality now.

The Romney vs Bush battle will be entertaining. I guess this puts everyone else as a distant third or worse.

Romney to GOP donors: ‘I want to be president.’ - The Washington Post

Did Romney really create the healthcare reform legacy, or was it passed by a Democratic-controlled Massachusetts Legislature?

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Edward64

I like it as an investment if the costs are not prohibitive. Not sure if community is same as vocational but would support vocational as well. Let's see the nos.

Obama To Propose Free Community College Program

Would need more details on what Obama is thinking here, but at face value, would this focus on skills/trades training, or just a path to college?

If it's the latter, it's a terrible proposal. We already have too many people in college as it. If it's the former, wouldn't it be better to adopt an intense apprentice program that is incorporated into high school-similar to something along the lines of what Germany does?

[molson]

Government-run community colleges could work, but this half-and-half stuff just leads to more cost inflation, doesn't it? The government so generously made cheap education loans available for everyone, so guess what, tuition costs just shot up and created the student loan debt generation, where even the middle and upper middle class kids start out life in a huge hole, which I think contributes to wealth disparity so much more than other things that are blamed like tax rates. Even with "free money", schools will just go after all that money that was saved some other way - more expensive textbooks, charging more for people who don't qualify for the program for whatever reason.

[Izulde]

Or continue to add more and more administrators while enslaving the academic faculty in part-time poverty.

[Izulde]

That said, I think the free community college program is worth looking at, and is an interesting idea.

[Galaxy]

Originally Posted by Izulde

That said, I think the free community college program is worth looking at, and is an interesting idea.

What would be the objective though? I mean, if everyone goes to at least community college (and beyond), you still have the same problems.

[AENeuman]

Originally Posted by Galaxy

Would need more details on what Obama is thinking here, but at face value, would this focus on skills/trades training, or just a path to college?

If it's the later, it's a terrible proposal. We already have too many people in college as it. If it's the former, wouldn't it be better to adopt an intense apprentice program that is incorporated into high school-similar to something along the lines of what Germany does?

Very much agree. Working at San Jose city college for last 9 years I have seen this in action. Most students do not make it, about 80% won't have a degree in 6 years. A large reason is they have to take college level math and English, when they are most likely at a 10th grade level (called English 92 here, by far most impacted course). Not tuition costs.

The big problems I see is textbooks still costs about 5 times tuition. California has cheap tuition, but still this is where the real expense is. So much so, I wouldn't be surprised if it is the textbook lobby that is pushing this bill.

IMHO. I think tuition and materials should be a tax deduction. Once a year, only completed units qualify.

I have hope in the growing vocational movement. My school has a great cosmetology, emt, hac, dental and (amazingly) butcher programs, all without much prerequisites.