"i Hope He Fails"

[hickoryhouse]

We had such a spat over the outrage caused by Limbaugh and his audacity to say that he wished for Obama to fail...

Perhaps there is a double standard, or perhaps it just wasn't reported. Whatever the case, this is very interesting....

James Carville.... as bad as Limbaugh?

Just found this interesting based on how much more hated Limbaugh has become thanks to his recent remarks.... and the similarities found here

[hickoryhouse]

In the interest of full disclosure

[UNTflyer]

Ugh. Fox news? You can't trust anything Fox News says... if it's not breaking news on ABCNNBCBS, then it never happened as is probably a figment of Rupert Murdoch's right-wing imagination!

[hickoryhouse]

washington monthly

[meangreendork]

If you take out the fact that 9/11 attacks took place just after Carville made his comments:

...if the comments were not made public, then you do have a double standard.

...if they did make the statements publc, then it would probably have been something frowned upon by anyone with a brain. It'd be a pretty big shot-to-the-testicles to make Carville's statements public because there's a good chance it wouldn't matter when he said it because it'd seem like he said it any time after the attacks took place anyways.

Edited March 13, 2009 by meangreendork

[Censored by Laurie]

"People basically like this president as a person and they want him to succeed, but they have some pretty serious doubts that have not crept in but are sort of there. You have almost half the country saying he is in over his head. Over half the country saying he is for the powerful. And as much as I would like for it or wish for it, they are not going to pull away completely from him months into his administration.

I don’t care if people like him or not, just so they don’t vote for him and his party. That is all I care about. I hope he doesn’t succeed, but I am a partisan democrat. But the average person wants him to succeed. It is his country, his life or their lives. So he has that going for him. There is a lot that is going to happen between now and next November. It is not that people don’t like him. It is not that people don’t want him to succeed but it is also not that he doesn’t have some serious underlying problems."

Taking quotes out of context is fun

[UNTflyer]

Taking quotes out of context is fun

I think that was the point. Rush Limbaugh's quote was taken out of context.

I got a request here from a major American print publication. "Dear Rush: For the Obama [immaculate]Inauguration we are asking a handful of very prominent politicians, statesmen, scholars, businessmen, commentators, and economists to write 400 words on their hope for the Obama presidency. We would love to include you. If you could send us 400 words on your hope for the Obama presidency, we need it by Monday night, that would be ideal." Now, we're caught in this trap again. The premise is, what is your "hope." My hope, and please understand me when I say this. I disagree fervently with the people on our side of the aisle who have caved and who say, "Well, I hope he succeeds. We've got to give him a chance." Why? They didn't give Bush a chance in 2000. Before he was inaugurated the search-and-destroy mission had begun. I'm not talking about search-and-destroy, but I've been listening to Barack Obama for a year-and-a-half. I know what his politics are. I know what his plans are, as he has stated them. I don't want them to succeed.

If I wanted Obama to succeed, I'd be happy the Republicans have laid down. And I would be encouraging Republicans to lay down and support him. Look, what he's talking about is the absorption of as much of the private sector by the US government as possible, from the banking business, to the mortgage industry, the automobile business, to health care. I do not want the government in charge of all of these things. I don't want this to work. So I'm thinking of replying to the guy, "Okay, I'll send you a response, but I don't need 400 words, I need four: I hope he fails.

[Side Show Joe]

I can't agree with his future for our country, because I don't like seeing the federal government buy up large portions of corporations with money they don't have. I don't like having the democratic party go unchecked in Washington. Last time that happened Carter was in office, and some of us are old enough to remember what that was like. I don't like that we have so much debt and China owns so much of it. Should they decide to stop buying it, I won't like the inflation that will occur either. I don't like watching irresponsibility be rewarded by either party. People and companies that can't pay their obligations need to fail, and the executives and politicians responsible need to be serving time for it.

Reckless and hasty legislation has already led to problems with the stimulus package. In my opinion, voting on legislation without being required to read it first, is a very stupid policy, but it is change. I don't see how any of this will help our country, not in the short term or the long term. I have no faith in the dems ability to lead this country, and I think the bigger question is, If obama succeeds, does America fail?

Edited March 21, 2009 by Side Show Joe

[eulessismore]

I can't agree with his future for our country, because I don't like seeing the federal government buy up large portions of corporations with money they don't have. I don't like having the democratic party go unchecked in Washington. Last time that happened Carter was in office, and some of us are old enough to remember what that was like. I don't like that we have so much debt and China owns so much of it. Should they decide to stop buying it, I won't like the inflation that will occur either. I don't like watching irresponsibility be rewarded by either party. People and companies that can't pay their obligations need to fail, and the executives and politicians responsible need to be serving time for it.

Reckless and hasty legislation has already led to problems with the stimulus package. In my opinion, voting on legislation without being required to read it first, is a very stupid policy, but it is change. I don't see how any of this will help our country, not in the short term or the long term. I have no faith in the dems ability to lead this country, and I think the bigger question is, If obama succeeds, does America fail?

As to the first paragraph, the most controversial governmental acquisition of a corporation (80% of it the last I heard) seems to be AIG, which was begun during the Bush administration. However that seems to have come about, I agree with the "don't like it" part. As best as I can recall, the AIG thing was separate from the "TARP" program, which seems to have been a collaboration between a Republican President and a Democratic congress, so I'm not sure how the Democrats were unchecked on this, which, at this time, I do agree was bad legislation. I'm not too sure what corporate interests were acquired during the Carter administration, but am open to your informing me.

And speaking of reckless and hasty legislation, is it still ok to talk about the "TARP" legislation? Again, a bipartisan effort, but I honestly agree with its flaws (along with the takeover of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and AIG, which were NOT by legislation, but by the Federal Reserve). And I agree with the analysis of someone on NPR last week that those actions were basically put together in less than a week-he said weekend, resulting in some real shortcomings. One of those apparently resulted in paying off credit default swaps which were nothing more than bets against the American housing market at 100 cents on the dollar. For all it's faults, bankruptcy filing would have resulted in those holding them probably getting nothing on the dollar; even with no bankruptcy, that kind of return from an institution that's going into a sort of receivership seems outrageous.

As far as Everything else in your post seems to imply that the inverse of that statement would be true; that if Obama fails, that America succeeds. I think that depends on your definitions of success and failure for this president and this country. Maybe another perspective could be "I hope America succeeds; whether or not the president in office at the time deserves blame or credit will be analyzed at least as long as whether FDR's New Deal brought us out of the depression or lengthened it." These days, the only way I could not know families negatively affected by the economic downturn would be to go into a complete shell; to parse whether or not success or failure of Obama would or would not be good for the country is a debate only those well insulated from the problems of those less fortunate could really make.

[Side Show Joe]

As to the first paragraph, the most controversial governmental acquisition of a corporation (80% of it the last I heard) seems to be AIG, which was begun during the Bush administration. However that seems to have come about, I agree with the "don't like it" part. As best as I can recall, the AIG thing was separate from the "TARP" program, which seems to have been a collaboration between a Republican President and a Democratic congress, so I'm not sure how the Democrats were unchecked on this, which, at this time, I do agree was bad legislation. I'm not too sure what corporate interests were acquired during the Carter administration, but am open to your informing me.

And speaking of reckless and hasty legislation, is it still ok to talk about the "TARP" legislation? Again, a bipartisan effort, but I honestly agree with its flaws (along with the takeover of Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae, and AIG, which were NOT by legislation, but by the Federal Reserve). And I agree with the analysis of someone on NPR last week that those actions were basically put together in less than a week-he said weekend, resulting in some real shortcomings. One of those apparently resulted in paying off credit default swaps which were nothing more than bets against the American housing market at 100 cents on the dollar. For all it's faults, bankruptcy filing would have resulted in those holding them probably getting nothing on the dollar; even with no bankruptcy, that kind of return from an institution that's going into a sort of receivership seems outrageous.

As far as Everything else in your post seems to imply that the inverse of that statement would be true; that if Obama fails, that America succeeds. I think that depends on your definitions of success and failure for this president and this country. Maybe another perspective could be "I hope America succeeds; whether or not the president in office at the time deserves blame or credit will be analyzed at least as long as whether FDR's New Deal brought us out of the depression or lengthened it." These days, the only way I could not know families negatively affected by the economic downturn would be to go into a complete shell; to parse whether or not success or failure of Obama would or would not be good for the country is a debate only those well insulated from the problems of those less fortunate could really make.

I see your point, and I did not mean to imply that the Republicans had no fault in this mess. They, were too willing make money and along with Democrats, get people into houses they couldn't pay for. As for the Democrats running unchecked, I'm referring to post inauguration Washington. With the Whitehouse and both houses of congress under the Democrats, I think we are seeing big mistakes made, like the AIG issue. Carter was a bad President. With Carter in the Whitehouse, and Democrats in control of the House and Senate, Washington was under Democratic control just like today, and we were a weak country with inflation running wild. With all his spending, and both houses under his party's control I fear we could see a similar situation happen under obama.

I'm not the smartest guy, but I did a good deal of research before I bought a home. Because of that, I knew enough to not get caught up in one of those adjustable rate mortgages. I bought a home I knew my wife and I could afford. And when I say "afford" I mean, I could pay the mortgage, meet all my other financial obligations, and put funds back for savings. I didn't go out there and buy a house I could barely pay for, with an interest rate that could change.

Today through no fault of our own, my family is far worse off than it was just three months ago. My friends are worse off then they were just three months ago. I don't know anyone who is better off now. The people are America, and the hard working middle class are its backbone. obama is currently succeeding in pushing his agenda through congress, and hard working middle class families are hurting more as every day goes by. In light of what I'm seeing on a daily basis, I can't see a way where his policies can succeed and our country can end up the better for it. I don't see it happening now and I don't believe it will happen later when our national debt is substantially higher, we can't print more money to flood the economy with, and other countries want nothing to do with our dollar.

That said, Go Mean Green!!! Hope our fan base will still be able to afford tickets.

[eulessismore]

I see your point, and I did not mean to imply that the Republicans had no fault in this mess. They, were too willing make money and along with Democrats, get people into houses they couldn't pay for. As for the Democrats running unchecked, I'm referring to post inauguration Washington. With the Whitehouse and both houses of congress under the Democrats, I think we are seeing big mistakes made, like the AIG issue. Carter was a bad President. With Carter in the Whitehouse, and Democrats in control of the House and Senate, Washington was under Democratic control just like today, and we were a weak country with inflation running wild. With all his spending, and both houses under his party's control I fear we could see a similar situation happen under obama.

I'm not the smartest guy, but I did a good deal of research before I bought a home. Because of that, I knew enough to not get caught up in one of those adjustable rate mortgages. I bought a home I knew my wife and I could afford. And when I say "afford" I mean, I could pay the mortgage, meet all my other financial obligations, and put funds back for savings. I didn't go out there and buy a house I could barely pay for, with an interest rate that could change.

Today through no fault of our own, my family is far worse off than it was just three months ago. My friends are worse off then they were just three months ago. I don't know anyone who is better off now. The people are America, and the hard working middle class are its backbone. obama is currently succeeding in pushing his agenda through congress, and hard working middle class families are hurting more as every day goes by. In light of what I'm seeing on a daily basis, I can't see a way where his policies can succeed and our country can end up the better for it. I don't see it happening now and I don't believe it will happen later when our national debt is substantially higher, we can't print more money to flood the economy with, and other countries want nothing to do with our dollar.

That said, Go Mean Green!!! Hope our fan base will still be able to afford tickets.

I'll agree with the highlighted part, although I guess I'm more worried about people who are struggling to meet more basic needs. And I guess the short version of my argument is: Hope for the best for the country; there's no guarantees that Obama will get credit for any improvement. I've only met one person who became President; George W. Bush when he was governor of Texas. I told him at the time that I was a Democrat, and he seemed ok with that, and appreciated my kind words praising the bipartisanship he was known for at the time. Now as former President, he's exhibiting that bipartisanship again by vocally supporting Obama, I'm sure with the best interests of all Americans in mind.

[eulessismore]

I see your point, and I did not mean to imply that the Republicans had no fault in this mess. They, were too willing make money and along with Democrats, get people into houses they couldn't pay for. As for the Democrats running unchecked, I'm referring to post inauguration Washington. With the Whitehouse and both houses of congress under the Democrats, I think we are seeing big mistakes made, like the AIG issue. Carter was a bad President. With Carter in the Whitehouse, and Democrats in control of the House and Senate, Washington was under Democratic control just like today, and we were a weak country with inflation running wild. With all his spending, and both houses under his party's control I fear we could see a similar situation happen under obama.

I'm not the smartest guy, but I did a good deal of research before I bought a home. Because of that, I knew enough to not get caught up in one of those adjustable rate mortgages. I bought a home I knew my wife and I could afford. And when I say "afford" I mean, I could pay the mortgage, meet all my other financial obligations, and put funds back for savings. I didn't go out there and buy a house I could barely pay for, with an interest rate that could change.

Today through no fault of our own, my family is far worse off than it was just three months ago. My friends are worse off then they were just three months ago. I don't know anyone who is better off now. The people are America, and the hard working middle class are its backbone. obama is currently succeeding in pushing his agenda through congress, and hard working middle class families are hurting more as every day goes by. In light of what I'm seeing on a daily basis, I can't see a way where his policies can succeed and our country can end up the better for it. I don't see it happening now and I don't believe it will happen later when our national debt is substantially higher, we can't print more money to flood the economy with, and other countries want nothing to do with our dollar.

That said, Go Mean Green!!! Hope our fan base will still be able to afford tickets.

As for the first highlighted item, I'm still not quite getting what the Democrats controlling the Presidency, the House and Senate have to do with the AIG issue, which, I'm still thinking the big problem was nationalizing it in the first place, while Bush was still President, and there was no enabling legislation, according to MarketWatch:

AIG effectively nationalized on 9-16-2008

As for the second highlighted item, my heart goes out to you, your family, and your friends. I do know that, overall, things will get better. Like most people, I just don't know when. However, I'm still not convinced that a scenario in which "Obama fails" will help anyone in the short term; if you're talking about the long term, people will be debating it well beyond the Obama Presidency. A pretty good Republican President, Abraham Lincoln, said something to the effect that "you don't build yourself a house by burning down your neighbors". Or, to my thinking, "why wish failure on anyone".