1. FISA and eavesdropping overreach (renewed the Patriot Act)
Obama was against provisions in the USA PATRIOT Act he felt were governmental overreaches. He wasn't against the act itself as that is just a name. Or at least he wasn't against the concept as much as he was against certain provisions which he wouldn't support the act in it's original incarnation. The USA PATRIOT Act Obama was against isn't the same law as it was. Provisions have been written out and some have reach sunset. The eavsdropping provisions are not what they were as implemented by GWB though.
2. corporate entitlements (he is still on the Wall Street dole)
:dunno: I don't really know what that means specifically but if it means he supported the bailout (he did so before he was elected) and if it's to mean the tax code support doles out corporate ents., see soft Demos and Tea Baggers in congress for not being able to get the legislation.
3. foreign policy at the end of a gun (continued wars)
His policy in Afghanistan is consistent with what he ran on. His policy in Iraq was originally his, became one signed into law by Bush a month before Obama took office and is now one he inherited consistent with what he would have done anyway. Where Obama loses points and tends to be Bush-like is, while he has made the focus Afghanistan (in word and deed)...what the fuck is he doing fucking around in Libya??? While not an utter fuck up like Bush in going full bore into Iraq and creating a disastrous hornet's nest of terror and instability. He is close to being guilty of the same mistake as Bush made of ceding ground in the real war on terror for an unnecessary military action somewhere else.
4. government transparency (Questionable)
Tend to agree but I haven't found a clear example of it. GOPers point to the health care law. I say nonsense to that example though.
5. abuse of Executive power (Not in my book, but by many)
This loses me. I know there is the phony czar card that was tried by GOPers but it is just that, phony.
Obama's fault is he and his minions allow these myths to persist to his detriment and the detriment of the political momentum he needs to get the other things he wants done passed.
I voted for the guy and might again, but hope & change has beem slim!
Agree. But what we forget is he has been a victim of the very change he's sought to implement.
Recall his biggest beef with GWB's way was governance in some cases by fiat. Obama has done it like the constitution intended when it comes to lawmaking.
People forget, our president isn't a dictator. "He" co-shares power with 2 other branches of g'ment.
Bush famously (or infamously) said, "If this were a dictatorship, it'd be a heck of a lot easier, just so long as I'm the dictator."
We don't have a dictatorship and consistently Obama can't just will his ideas into being. He can lead the country to believing like him and they will send people to Washington to do the things Obama has in his agenda.
If Obama is doing his job correctly, he avails the congress of his legislative interests/agenda and the congress produces bills which are reflective of where the country is (not the president). The hope is those will be consistent. In the absence of that, the president is obligated pass constitutional laws reflective of what the people want as expressed by the representatives they send to Washington.
If the people find they are unhappy with what the congress is/has produced, they are obligated to express what they want then vote for or against politicians accordingly during the next election cycle.
And but we'll be stuck having to pay for it.
