Obama Hands Off to Bill Clinton

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Some people see Obama as inept no matter WHAT is happening,

Some people who luv Obama refuse to see the ineptitude no matter WHAT is happening.

Take a look. he was totally inept and clueless. He's obviously in over his head. This is what happens when people take a 'community organizer' and put him in the office of POTUS. He's too busy wanting his free champagne parties to be doing the countrys business. Guess he can't be bothered ... or he can't handle it .. or both. The left and the right and the inbetween can see it. But the few Obamaluvers left .. well ... they are a different bunch.

I felt relief when Bill Clinton was at the podium and was speaking without teleprompters and when he was able to address the facts and figures in a mature and educated manner. I'm not the only one. A collective 'oh thank god a grown up is finally in charge' went through the land ... It's been a long time since we had one running things in POTUS land ...

reply to post by ProfEmeritus


A while back .. not sure how long ago .. there was talk of having an official doctor for the POTUS and VPOTUS that in case of breakdown or insanity they could be removed from office. While I can see the potential for abuse of this position, I'm thinking it would be a really good idea. OBVIOUSLY Bush43 had something of that nature happen a few years into his time in office. I don't know if Obama is having mental health issues or not, but he certainly is either disengaged or lazy .. pick one or both. If that's the case then it's not mental illness but just a plain ol' bad pick for POTUS.

Whatever. I think there should be a mental health check on these folks while in office and laws to remove them if they are found to be having breakdowns or mental health issues.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Some people who luv Obama refuse to see the ineptitude no matter WHAT is staring them in the face.

I don't LUV Obama nor do I love him. And I do see where he has made mistakes (in my judgment) but he is NOT inept. He is very skilled and knowledgeable. He's intelligent and capable. His decisions disagree with my opinion many times, but inept is not something I would call him. You don't get to be POTUS by being inept (unless your daddy was president before you).

In fact, I think Obama could do a great job if he would make different decisions.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
8 - Seeing Bill Clinton know what he was doing made me miss him. Maybe not him exactly .. but made me miss having someone in the office who is actually qualified and could do the job. It's been a long time ...

Yeah, even Bush privately contacted Bill for advice on domestic issues.

Say what you want about Bill Clinton, good or bad.

I would give anything if our country could somehow get back to what it was like when he was in office.

He walked away leaving both sides fighting over a surplus! The economy was good, and growth was consistent.

Though I think often we give the president too much credit and blame when most of what they do is the result of the efforts of a lot of leaders and officials in government, and of course influence and pressure from their "corporate interests".

Bill Clinton was also forced (like Obama now) to a more moderate position and to compromises with the opposing party... Literally pulled into the middle. Exactly where the president should be.

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
he is NOT inept.

ummmm ... YES he is. It's rather obvious. He isn't qualified for the position he's in and it shows.
* again ... 'qualified' and 'meets requirements' are two different things.

You don't get to be POTUS by being inept (unless your daddy was president before you).

Recent history - Bush43 was a dufus. Obama is inept and underqualified. Carter (nice guy at the time) turned out to be unable to do the job. Inept people get promoted past their ability level all the time. Obama is no different then the others who came before him and who were in over their heads. The title of POTUS doesn't protect someone from being brought up past their ability level. They are still humans .. not teflon gods.

Clinton Refuses to Leave White House
Installs Self in Oval Office
www.borowitzreport.com...

Mr. Obama had assumed that once the former President wrapped things up with reporters yesterday, he would say his goodbyes and depart in a waiting car, “but that kind of didn’t happen,” the aide said.

“Clinton kind of went, ‘Do you have a computer I can use? I just want to check my email,’ and then kind of made himself at home in the Oval Office,” he said. “The President was being polite and all, but you could tell he was kind of pissed.”

After spending the better part of two hours surfing the Internet and watching YouTube videos, the former President announced, “Am I the only one around here who’s hungry? Let’s send [Press Secretary Robert] Gibbs on a Pizza Hut run.”

The aide said that Mr. Obama decided to play “a waiting game” with Mr. Clinton, explaining, “Even the Salahis left eventually.”

But after spending the night “crashing in the Lincoln Bedroom,” the former President was back in the Oval Office, chatting away on the phone.

“He could be there for awhile,” the aide said. “He’s talking to Bernie Sanders.”

reply to post by Fractured.Facade


Yup - being President is a tough job no matter who or which party is sitting in the chair.

The thing about Clinton is he is man who loved his job as President and was good at it. I think he'd go back to in a second if he thought he could. He is very "natural" in the job if that makes sense. Even Bush Sr. and Jr. will admit that while they don't agree with him on many things - they can't help but like him.

When he gets behind the podium and the mike that President usually occupies and starts doing what the President usually does - Clinton easily has the ability to make most anyone that is President look bad without even trying. Obama can read as fine a speech as anyone - but when it comes to the ability to "wing it" he is no Bill Clinton and will look bad by comparison.

reply to post by Frogs


The greatest presidents have been from the center, a moderating force between left and right, it is not too late for Obama.

The thing that really does concern me, is the fact that POTUS is supposed to listen to all sides of an issue, then make decisions based upon all of that input. If he is leaving those meetings after a few minutes(and it has been documented that he did that frequently, when the Joint Chiefs were in the meetings concerning Afghanistan and Iraq), how can he make informed decisions? It would be alright, IF he had knowledgeable staff, but unfortunately, almost every single staff member was chosen, not for that ability, but for political savvy. I firmly believe that was an extremely poor decision on his part.
In addition, choosing people, such as Geithner, who didn't pay his income taxes, to lead the IRS and the economy, certainly leaves one wondering about his judgment. In fact, most of his appointees were ideologues, such as Rahm, who knew very little about the areas they were placed in. There are very few real grownups in his administration.

Originally posted by ProfEmeritus
The thing that really does concern me, is the fact that POTUS is supposed to listen to all sides of an issue,

I'v been hearing this for sometime time now. Between the loudmouth town hall meetins and the refusal of Republicans to compromise on anything, how on earth is the president to continue listening to all sides of the issue? We've heard it all before. "tax cuts" "socialism". So why must he or anybody else listen more?

Once conservatives settle down (which won't happen if this president remains) then yes, there'd be a chance cooperative listening.

This entire thread still smells like post election whining to me, nothing of actual relevance to the goings on in Washington. Just "the president" on a personal level.

reply to post by Benevolent Heretic


You know it is amazing, for a president who was probably more liberal that Obama, who actually raised the corporate and income tax rate , for somebody who championed universal healthcare more so than president (socialism!), that conservatives are wrapped around his finger. It just goes to show you how minimal actual ideology has with the hatred for current president on this forum.

I am really having a hard time believing Obama can be this politically inept. Leaving Clinton to do Obama's work for him screams ineptitude plain and simple...

reply to post by SaturnFX


While every President should absolutely get credit/blame for everything that happens under his watch, the truth is the job and economic growth we had during the Clinton years were actually beyond his control.
We would have had the same growth regardless of who was Prez during that time.

Remember, the job growth we saw at that time was more the result of the internet boom and not necessarilly due to anything he did.
Clinton got lucky because he was merely at the right place at the right time.

That was the same boom Bush Sr was referring to when he mentioned "the information super highway" for the very first time.
Of course no one knew exactly what the hell he was talking about at that time.

I am really sick of how much credit presidents get for the success or failure of the economy. The truth is they have very little ability to improve it, and only limited ability to destroy it. Ultimately congress matters much more, and even they have little impact. If you want to blame someone quasi governmental than blame the fed. They are the ones that got the ball rolling towards this disaster by manipulating the interest rates lower than the market suggested was appropriate.

The economy at its heart is run on the backs of the common worker, and small businessman, and ingenuity, all the government can do is get in their way. Clinton had nothing to do with health of the economy, it was the internet boom, with the growth in productivity it provided and eventually, a stock market bubble based on that increase in productivity that had everything to do with it.

Bush came into power and the bubble burst, then 911, so the fed dropped the interest rates down to seriously low levels to avoid going into recession. A deep recession at that time is exactly what the country needed, we needed to clear the excess debt and get our economy healthy again. Instead Greenspan, and congress enabled the banks to make the economic problems 20 times worse in the long run by creating the housing bubble and allowing the big banks to create exotic products and run at leverage ratios at least 3 times higher than is safe.

This recklessness started to come to roost at the end of Bushes term, and the banks held congress hostage by basically telling them bail us out or martial law will be required. Instead of realizing an economic collapse at that point was unavoidable, congress gave into their demands. Ever since they have been supporting the fed using up every little bit of credit this country has left to try to put off the inevitable.

It doesn't matter who became president in 2008, NOBODY could fix the economy this term - it must correct, and the correction will be very painful, but it is only because we have made the bubbles 10 times larger than ever before. We will now have to deal with 10 times the pain.

Bottom line though, what could a president really do now that would help? The answer is nothing that would affect the short term. We have a tremendous debt burden (public and private) that must be removed, a tax system that must be reformed, healthcare costs must be cut in half, an education system that needs reform, a legal system run amok, an apathetic public that lets corruption run wild.

All of these things need to be fixed and the reality is that the only way they could happen quickly is if they had universal support - that will not happen until things get bad enough that the clear majority realizes their importance.

reply to post by Southern Guardian

So why must he or anybody else listen more?

You obviously have a problem with reading comprehension. I am TALKING about listening to his cabinet, However, as usual, you go into attack mode, as you always do, WITHOUT even reading the post! I won't even bother to respond to you anymore. You don't listen. You just go on and on about conservatives, etc. Grow up.

Originally posted by whatukno
reply to post by SourGrapes

 

All former presidents are referred to as Mr. President. It's a courtesy.

Nothing weird at all about that. You would refer to George HW Bush, George Bush, Jimmy Carter as Mr. President.

It's a manners and decorum thing.

Yes, I know this; just as I stated in my post. That doesn't make it any less weird. Besides it's actually not a 'manners and decorum thing', it's actually proper as the title was earned. The title stays with you, unless you lose it (not serving out your tenor) or have it taken from you.(fraud, misconduct, etc).
Just to reiterate my opinion: I believe it would have been more respectful (manners and decorum) to throw 'Former' in front of the address. I mean, Obama was still in the room and didn't even flinch. Clinton took the reigns like he was riding a bike.

BTW, my DH is 'Former Marine'. He's still a Marine, just isn't active any longer. That doesn't mean that he would take the reigns of one of his buddies, who are still serving. He'd have to put the uniform back on, and mentally get back into 'Marine-mode'.

Billy appeared to still be "Mr. President".

Sorry, it's a day later and still WEIRD, WEIRD, WEIRD! You may be comfortable with it, but I'm not.

BTW, as President, appearance is everything. Everything.

(Barry's thoughts?)
I have no idea what to say here,
How is he doing this without a teleprompter?
I really need a cigarette.
Look attentive, nod, smile, get ready, hold it hold it,
Here comes my opportunity to bail,
Thanks for the lead in Bill,
And I'm outta here !



(Bill's thoughts?)
Look sincere,
See if they will buy this B.S. excuse one more time!


GAWD !
How is this, the best we've got?
How?

reply to post by FlyersFan
The Clinton administration were the guys who repealed Glass-Steagall...

I guess he does know what he be yackin about.

Problem is,you don't know what you be yackin about.

..........

Originally posted by maybereal11
For his part, Obama said it was a "terrific meeting," turned the podium over to Clinton and eventually left to attend a Christmas party.

I'm just glad obama has his priorities straight. Parties first, worry about the country eventually if ever. I though obama was supposed to be this great communicator and yet he has to have bill clinton sell his tax agreement with the republicans?

Originally posted by Chance321

I'm just glad obama

has his priorities straight. Parties first, worry about the country eventually if ever.

Correction.
Michelle first, Barack second, party third.
I don't think the country even made it to the top ten.