End the embargo/restrictions on cuba

[Cancel 2018. 3]

President Obama knows what he is doing and is way more popular than Bush was.

bush had 90 percent popularity

 

[Lowaicue]

I doubt that any leader of any nation at any time in history has had such a huge task ahead of him as Obama. Righting eight years of the destruction of America would present a superhuman task but when you add the global economy and the imminent danger from Israel, all the Marvel super heroes working together would have a hard time.
If he can change the American mind set he might, just might have a chance.

That depends on the issue.

Is the Obama better than Bush?

Absolutely.

Will the half-measures of the Obama Administration do what is necessary to bring this country back?

Remains to be seen.

His half-measures of healthcare tweaking could actually be disastrous to the movement to REFORM healthcare, not tweak it.

His half-measures on war still leads to war and dead people.

His half-measures on the US auto industry could bring back a republican Congress.

What America needs is bold leadership, not half-measures.

 

[Minister of Truth]

I doubt that any leader of any nation at any time in history has had such a huge task ahead of him as Obama. Righting eight years of the destruction of America would present a superhuman task but when you add the global economy and the imminent danger from Israel, all the Marvel super heroes working together would have a hard time.
If he can change the American mind set he might, just might have a chance.

Washington and Lincoln come to mind... FDR and Reagan also come time mind. Van Buren inherited the Panic of 1837 from Jackson, and McKinley inherited the Panic of 1894 from Cleveland.

 

[blackascoal]

england still has troops in the middle east......so obama will unilatterly redeploy troops to wage an illegal war without un world or congressional approval...how very unarrogant uncocksure an excellent example of sharing power and acting multilaterally in the family of nations.........ah the change.....i feel so unified....

Ahh .. welcome aboard brother.

That being said .. your post is ridiculous.

England is rapidly withdrawing the last of their troops from Iraq, a blunder which not only disgraced England, but brought down their once-popular leader, Tony Blair. But Blair was not the only world leader to get the boot up his ass for getting their country involved in the miserable failure that was Iraq. The leaders of Spain, Italy, and Poland suffered similar fates.

The change is that Obama is restoring and repairing America's global image, THUS, American influence, stature, and power in a world we are increasingly dependant on. And, I didn't vote for him, but in terms of his restoring America's image, he's doing a damn good job of it. He's having to go around the world apologizing for the mindless years of republican/right-wing control.

A better global relationship is in America's best interest, in spite of the fact that it may not be in your ideological interest.

 

[blackascoal]

bush had 90 percent popularity

Sure .. that lasted for about 10 minutes and was not a popularity based on Bush but rather the "patriotic" fervor after 9/11.

By the time the 2008 election came around no republican running for office would dare speak the name of Bush .. who has a global image somewhere just short of Hitler.

 

[blackascoal]

I doubt that any leader of any nation at any time in history has had such a huge task ahead of him as Obama. Righting eight years of the destruction of America would present a superhuman task but when you add the global economy and the imminent danger from Israel, all the Marvel super heroes working together would have a hard time.
If he can change the American mind set he might, just might have a chance.

I don't deny the weight of the tasks he faces, I simply don't believe he's bold enough do accomplish what's needed .. although without question he's a hell of a lot better than Bush, and a hell of a lot better than McCain would have been. The jury is still out on whether he would have been better than Clinton who would have gotten single-payer healthcare done, not the tweaking Obama is planning.

The jury is also out on how he's going to handle that imminent danger from Israel. I don't believe America can continue to get away with pretending Israel doesn't have nukes any longer. If Israel has them, then so should Iran .. and North Korea.

In my opinion he failed on the question of bailouts and he's headed to a serious failure if US auto makers go into bankruptcy, which could lead republicans back into control of Congress.

I believe in participatory politics. Support for correct policy supercedes any individual and any political party.

 

[Lowaicue]

Not sure about the car companies. They have made cars for the worst type of American for years. Over sized, over powered and, fortunately, over there.
The biggest mistake they made was to underestimate the Japanese who learned their marketing from the US and now do it better.
GM has been a dinosaur for years. I would question whether the US can sustain three American companies.
There is also the question of just how much money should you allow them and how much control should you, the tax payer, have.
You should start with the the man with the money: that's you - American consumers. Normal market forces should rule. If the home market is insufficient or has changed its preferences and the car companies have not foreseen that change they should be allowed to die. Replacements would appear very quickly. They might be Japanese, they might be Chinese but whoever it is will learn that the customer, and the environment, is king.
Will the bailouts shift the mile upon mile of cars that cram open spaces all over the country? No they clearly will not, yet until those cars have drivers behind their wheels they will not start consuming and if they are not consuming the economy (motor) is unlikely to improve.
McCain has is over here today. He has just insulted China and expects to have a successful visit after he has been to Japan. We'll see. Hasn't he got any hobbies? Rugmaking? We don't want him.

I don't deny the weight of the tasks he faces, I simply don't believe he's bold enough do accomplish what's needed .. although without question he's a hell of a lot better than Bush, and a hell of a lot better than McCain would have been. The jury is still out on whether he would have been better than Clinton who would have gotten single-payer healthcare done, not the tweaking Obama is planning.

The jury is also out on how he's going to handle that imminent danger from Israel. I don't believe America can continue to get away with pretending Israel doesn't have nukes any longer. If Israel has them, then so should Iran .. and North Korea.

In my opinion he failed on the question of bailouts and he's headed to a serious failure if US auto makers go into bankruptcy, which could lead republicans back into control of Congress.

I believe in participatory politics. Support for correct policy supercedes any individual and any political party.

 

[blackascoal]

Not sure about the car companies. They have made cars for the worst type of American for years. Over sized, over powered and, fortunately, over there.
The biggest mistake they made was to underestimate the Japanese who learned their marketing from the US and now do it better.
GM has been a dinosaur for years. I would question whether the US can sustain three American companies.
There is also the question of just how much money should you allow them and how much control should you, the tax payer, have.
You should start with the the man with the money: that's you - American consumers. Normal market forces should rule. If the home market is insufficient or has changed its preferences and the car companies have not foreseen that change they should be allowed to die. Replacements would appear very quickly. They might be Japanese, they might be Chinese but whoever it is will learn that the customer, and the environment, is king.
Will the bailouts shift the mile upon mile of cars that cram open spaces all over the country? No they clearly will not, yet until those cars have drivers behind their wheels they will not start consuming and if they are not consuming the economy (motor) is unlikely to improve.
McCain has is over here today. He has just insulted China and expects to have a successful visit after he has been to Japan. We'll see. Hasn't he got any hobbies? Rugmaking? We don't want him.

Without unions Obama is not the president, democrats are not in control of Congress.

American automakers have indeed been negligent in making better cars, but the cost of making cars in the US is impeded by the costs of providing healthcare to its workers, an impediment most of its global competitors don't have to bear.

But beyond the specifics is the image of Obama pouring trillions of dollars into Wall Street and the banking institutions, yet providing peanuts and tough-love for the auto industry .. where millions of jobs are at stake.

The boot for the GM president, bonuses for Wall Street.

There is rising anger over that image in Michigan and many other states that could lead to a cogent republican message that may well appeal to workers .. IF they're smart.

McCain is looking for purpose and a reason to even get out of bed.

No one is paying him any attention.

 

[Lowaicue]

I totally agree with your view of the importance of unions.... however (there is always one of those) unions should by now have become a little more sophisticated. Unions should be a part, a vital part, of the management of large companies. The days of tub thumping and holding employers to ransom are long gone. Car unions should be as critical as anyone of the direction their industry has been led and they should be active in putting things right. That doesn't mean keeping untenable jobs but it does mean making sure there are alternatives available. I was an active union member in my youth, I marched and picketed but times and circumstances have changed ... or perhaps I am getting soft.

Without unions Obama is not the president, democrats are not in control of Congress.

American automakers have indeed been negligent in making better cars, but the cost of making cars in the US is impeded by the costs of providing healthcare to its workers, an impediment most of its global competitors don't have to bear.

But beyond the specifics is the image of Obama pouring trillions of dollars into Wall Street and the banking institutions, yet providing peanuts and tough-love for the auto industry .. where millions of jobs are at stake.

The boot for the GM president, bonuses for Wall Street.

There is rising anger over that image in Michigan and many other states that could lead to a cogent republican message that may well appeal to workers .. IF they're smart.

McCain is looking for purpose and a reason to even get out of bed.

No one is paying him any attention.

 

[blackascoal]

I totally agree with your view of the importance of unions.... however (there is always one of those) unions should by now have become a little more sophisticated. Unions should be a part, a vital part, of the management of large companies. The days of tub thumping and holding employers to ransom are long gone. Car unions should be as critical as anyone of the direction their industry has been led and they should be active in putting things right. That doesn't mean keeping untenable jobs but it does mean making sure there are alternatives available. I was an active union member in my youth, I marched and picketed but times and circumstances have changed ... or perhaps I am getting soft.

I hope it's not that you're getting soft my brother. What the left lacks most of all is fighters. We have weak in the kness far too long.

Making US automakers more viable means supporting true healthcare reform, not the helathcare tweaking Obama is proposing .. and unions and its protections for workers is becoming increasingly more vital as resources shrink. the top-heavy nature of American business is always to take failure out on workers rather than management.

Unions have always been at the forefront of change in America, and Obama would do well to pay more attention to workers and less attention to Wall Street.

 

[uscitizen]

well....what is the point? IMO, it is more counterproductive now than when originally implemented....

True it is blocking great offshoring opportunities that removing the embargo would open up for American Businesses.