44th President and 111th Congress (US Gov't 2009-2011)

[Kinny Riddle]

Well then. GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE TO EIGHT YEARS OF BAD RUBBISH. - This will be the only opinion I make of Dubya here in this forum. And I've been itching for a very, very long time to say it. I hope no other world leader will ever attract such ire from me in the foreseeable future.

Obama may or may not do a "better" job than Dubya, but just him being the first black President of the USA is significant enough to be awe-inspiring, regardless of how competent he may or may not be.

[Sinestra]

I will say this i was there down in the 2 million mass of people and it was amazing except for it being cold as ballz. It was quite the expereince to hear him speak not on tv but in person and see peoples reactions and faces. I saw a lot of hope in peoples eyes and i loved how there were not just Americans i met lots of people from other countries who flew to DC just to hear Obama speak. There were a lot of Germans but there were people from all over. For one person to draw millions of people including foreigners to the capital just to hear speak and get sworn in is a feat it has never happened before not to this extent. I am willing to give him the time he needs to prove that is he is the real deal or just full of fluff but in the mean time i am going to optimistic about the next 4 years.

[Vexx]

BBC rep was interviewing regular peeps in the crowds, as soon as Obama was like 'i wanna thank Bush for his work for the country in the last 8 years', the BBC rep was like 'there was some booing and skeptism around the crowd at that statement' xD

Ah they didn't catch the subtle sarcasm or irony ..... if Bush had done his job in a way that supported ALL the people instead of just his cronies and pals, the Democrats wouldn't have been able to sweep the nation's elections at the level they did.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Ah they didn't catch the subtle sarcasm or irony ..... if Bush had done his job in a way that supported ALL the people instead of just his cronies and pals, the Democrats wouldn't have been able to sweep the nation's elections at the level they did.

Which, from the day onward, all the mistakes he did for being too much of a lame duck would plague him for the rest of his life long after leaving the White House.

All right, on the bright side here's the first thing Obama (apart from Gitmo and the eventual pullout from Iraq) does: he freezes the salaries of anyone within his staff who makes over $100k.

[jsieczkar]

Originally Posted by soulassassin547

Which, from the day onward, all the mistakes he did for being too much of a lame duck would plague him for the rest of his life long after leaving the White House.

All right, on the bright side here's the first thing Obama (apart from Gitmo and the eventual pullout from Iraq) does: he freezes the salaries of anyone within his staff who makes over $100k.

The salary freeze is mostly symbolic very few staffers make over $100k. Most of the staff is on the GS scale which pays pretty bad, good benefits and job stability is the trade off. The big gain for most staffers is that when you leave you can go to work just about any where.
The bigger announcements were the lobbyist rule changes, which are far wider sweeping and have a much larger effect. As well as his pledge to have all the departments be more open in there dealings with the public. Now it is to be seen if he can pull that part off, it is easy to say that the departments will do it and it is another to make sure it can happen.

[Shadow Kira01]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...012102009.html



It appears that Obama is working hard on his first day as 44th president of the United States.

[Xellos-_^]

looks like Obama isn't president yet

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...politics&tsp=1

Several constitutional lawyers said President Obama should, just to be safe, retake the oath of office that was flubbed by Chief Justice John Roberts.

The 35-word oath is explicitly prescribed in the Constitution, Article II, Section 1, which begins by saying the president "shall" take the oath "before he enter on the execution of his office."

Boston University constitutional scholar and Supreme Court watcher Jack Beermann. "It's an open question whether he's president until he takes the proper oath."

[Vexx]

Its going to be entertaining watching the kicking and screaming and scurrying the "status quo" roaches are going to be engaging in for the next few years....

I suppose the Inspector General Agency is going to be a much happier puppy now that someone may listen to him.

I liked seeing Christine Todd Whitman's expose of how she was shut down by Cheney for trying to do her job at the EPA.


@Xellos: I thought about that as soon as Roberts stumbled on the words..... wasn't happy with him - Roberts is supposed to be smart and have all his ducks lined up.

[Xellos-_^]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Its going to be entertaining watching the kicking and screaming and scurrying the "status quo" roaches are going to be engaging in for the next few years....

I suppose the Inspector General Agency is going to be a much happier puppy now that someone may listen to him.

I liked seeing Christine Todd Whitman's expose of how she was shut down by Cheney for trying to do her job at the EPA.


@Xellos: I thought about that as soon as Roberts stumbled on the words..... wasn't happy with him - Roberts is supposed to be smart and have all his ducks lined up.

since Obama miss the oath, it is now president Biden and Vice President Clinton

let the race riots begin.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by Xellos-_^

since Obama miss the oath, it is now president Biden and Vice President Clinton

let the race riots begin.

Is that a joke?

If there is ever the scenario in which Biden replaces Obama, when things turn from bad to worse, he would obviously remove Clinton from her post and have a full cabinet reshuffle. However, I hope Obama will successfully handle things and make it smooth!

[tensashinigami]

I guess I rather him than Bush in office.

[mg1942]

What do you guys/gals think of this new legislation?

http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm

[Thingle]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Ah they didn't catch the subtle sarcasm or irony ..... if Bush had done his job in a way that supported ALL the people instead of just his cronies and pals, the Democrats wouldn't have been able to sweep the nation's elections at the level they did.

Let's see in 2012 when the Obama hype machine falls flat on its face, and when the liberals dump him like a past fad.


Ready for Duncan Hunter?

[solomon]

Originally Posted by mg1942

What do you guys/gals think of this new legislation?

http://ammunitionaccountability.org/Legislation.htm

Not sure, what do you think of it?

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by Thingle

Let's see in 2012 when the Obama hype machine falls flat on its face, and when the liberals dump him like a past fad.


Ready for Duncan Hunter?

For someone in the Phillipines.... you don't really have a very good insight into how American politics works But good luck with that prediction.

@mg1942: it isn't really "one bill" .... its a bunch of bills introduced in many state legislatures. I predict its pretty much doomed to failure and will die in committee in at least half those states States that pass it may find themselves spending a lot of money in court defending it. Most mainline Democrats have gotten the message that such nonsense is the fastest way to get un-elected in the next round. They picked up some really unfavorable states to introduce it in.

[sa547]

Originally Posted by Vexx

For someone in the Phillipines.... you don't really have a very good insight into how American politics works But good luck with that prediction.

@mg1942: it isn't really "one bill" .... its a bunch of bills introduced in many state legislatures. I predict its pretty much doomed to failure and will die in committee in at least half those states States that pass it may find themselves spending a lot of money in court defending it. Most mainline Democrats have gotten the message that such nonsense is the fastest way to get un-elected in the next round. They picked up some really unfavorable states to introduce it in.

slightly offtopic: Former President Joseph Estrada once set a massive landslide victory in the national elections after he hyped himself up as the so-called "president of the masses" in apparent imitation of the late President Ramon Magsaysay. Next thing he began to screw himself up in office to the extent that an impeachment trial was called for because he and a friend/warlord/governor/gambler had a fallout.

Which explains partly for my fellow compatriot's tendency to doubt Obama's true abilities in office in the coming days, and the fact that Bill Clinton made himself a lame duck in the past.

[solomon]

Ok all politics aside you cannot deny the ownage of THIS:

http://gamu-toys.info/sonota/sw/obama/DSC_4696.JPG

Whole shebang;

http://gamu-toys.info/sonota/sw/obama/obama.html

[Solace]

That is awesome on so many levels that I can't even begin to describe.

[james0246]

Originally Posted by Thingle

Let's see in 2012 when the Obama hype machine falls flat on its face, and when the liberals dump him like a past fad.


Ready for Duncan Hunter?

Hmm, Duncan Hunter...interesting choice. He is very much a "true conservative", emphasizing economics and fiscal responsibility more than the recent emphasize on social values. But, it is hard to be elected for President when your sole claim to fame (on a national stage at least) is the fact that he did not exit the 2008 Republican race when he should have (I remember his long rant, right before the Iowa Caucus (I think), about how ABC and Fox were trying to destroy him, or something to that effect). That being said, he is also very unassuming, with little in the way of "looks" or rhetorical ability. Added to that, he currently holds no position in Congress, and he is not rich enough to actively campaign for himself as a private citizen. And, of course, I seem to recall that Ann Coulter endorsed him, and that is not a good sign at all .

As to the Obama hype...well it all depends on what Obama does. If he can give the country at least one solid years worth of active advancement (one of his economic plans works, a few of his social plans work, and a few other miscellaneous plans bear fruit), and no new terrorist attacks or wars, then I see no way that Obama wouldn't be re-elected. But, if Obama worsens the country’s economic decline, or starts a seemingly unneeded war, then he will be voted out of office quite easily.

[Shadow Kira01]

Originally Posted by james0246

As to the Obama hype...well it all depends on what Obama does. If he can give the country at least one solid years worth of active advancement (one of his economic plans works, a few of his social plans work, and a few other miscellaneous plans bear fruit), and no new terrorist attacks or wars, then I see no way that Obama wouldn't be re-elected. But, if Obama worsens the country?s economic decline, or starts a seemingly unneeded war, then he will be voted out of office quite easily.

Totally agree. This seems to be quite the possible scenario.