The Official Obama Scorecard Thread

[vbnautilus 48]

*head asplode*

See, this all goes to #3.

[nutzbuster 7]

Ford posts 1 Billion profit.Good thing they took the bail out money......wait a minute....

[FCP Bob 1,312]

Ford posts 1 Billion profit.Good thing they took the bail out money......wait a minute....

Ford is a very well managed company.They streamlined a lot of their operations before the crisis hit and they didn't need bailout money because they raised a lot of capital and took on long term debt before things dried up.For those of you who just love to bash unions and there are things to bash about some of them please remember that Ford, GM and Chrysler all have the same Union, have the same Union wage rates and benefits and the same Union working rules and conditions. The difference is that Ford has good management while GM and Chrysler don't.

[strategy 4]

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[timwakefield 68]

I really doubt he promised that, since that's not really in his control to guarantee. He probably promised to try his best to find Bin Laden.

2nd Presidential debate:"But I do believe that we have to change our policies with Pakistan. We can't coddle, as we did, a dictator, give him billions of dollars and then he's making peace treaties with the Taliban and militants.What I've said is we're going to encourage democracy in Pakistan, expand our nonmilitary aid to Pakistan so that they have more of a stake in working with us, but insisting that they go after these militants.And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush Al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority."And again later in the debate:"Look, I -- I want to be very clear about what I said. Nobody called for the invasion of Pakistan. Sen. McCain continues to repeat this.What I said was the same thing that the audience here today heard me say, which is, if Pakistan is unable or unwilling to hunt down bin Laden and take him out, then we should."McCain responded by promising, in even stronger words, that he too would "get" bin Laden.

[vbnautilus 48]

And if we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think that we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush Al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority."

I think you bolded the wrong part. I re-bolded. They have been more aggressive in attacking inside Pakistan recently, which is a good thing, but still nobody has any idea where the guy is.

[nutzbuster 7]

Ford is a very well managed company.They streamlined a lot of their operations before the crisis hit and they didn't need bailout money because they raised a lot of capital and took on long term debt before things dried up.For those of you who just love to bash unions and there are things to bash about some of them please remember that Ford, GM and Chrysler all have the same Union, have the same Union wage rates and benefits and the same Union working rules and conditions. The difference is that Ford has good management while GM and Chrysler don't.

All truePoint was Ford did not survive because of anything Obama did, nor did the others not survive as a result of what Obama did.The outcome was certain regardless of what anyone did and they should have just let it run it's course and saved the taxpayers shitload of extra debt.

[strategy 4]

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[timwakefield 68]

I think you bolded the wrong part. I re-bolded.

Read it a third time. When I re-read it I was like, Oh, he said "If." Actually though, he really didn't. The 'if' is regarding whether it will be us or the Pakistanis who get him. He clarified that in his second comment that I bolded. Again, breaking down the first quote, he says IF we have bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistanis won't help, we'll just go get him ourselves. Then, as a new thought, he says that we will kill him and crush Al Qaeda, just generally.

[vbnautilus 48]

Read it a third time. When I re-read it I was like, Oh, he said "If." Actually though, he really didn't. The 'if' is regarding whether it will be us or the Pakistanis who get him. He clarified that in his second comment that I bolded. Again, breaking down the first quote, he says IF we have bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistanis won't help, we'll just go get him ourselves. Then, as a new thought, he says that we will kill him and crush Al Qaeda, just generally.

Yeah but as long as we are picking apart his words with a fine-toothed comb, he doesn't really promise that he will get OBL. He says it should be our priority. I think they are going after him, but the guy will probably die before anyone gets to him.

[Pot Odds RAC 23]

For those of you who just love to bash unions and there are things to bash about some of them please remember that Ford, GM and Chrysler all have the same Union, have the same Union wage rates and benefits and the same Union working rules and conditions. The difference is that Ford has good management while GM and Chrysler don't.

Except now the Union and US Government now own chunks of GM and Chrysler and no longer are incented to play on a level field with Ford. This is clearly evidenced by the recent Union treatment of Ford. This conflict of interest is threatening to destroy any positive gains Ford made by managing better than their rivals.

[strategy 4]

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[85suited 0]

Sigh..... I didn't see that. I'm taking away the previous 10 and giving a -10.

From the visitor logs:*PAUL KRUGMAN. The NYT columnist spent two hours with Obama on April 27. Gen. McChrystal got 30 minutes.Sigh

[85suited 0]

Henry - good news for youThe Duluth News Tribune reported:Minnesota Power is seeking an almost 20 percent increase in rates for its residential customers to cover investments made in cleaner, greener energy.For the average residential customer, that amounts to $13 per month.“We know this is unwelcome news at an unwelcome time,” said Pat Mullen, the company’s vice president of marketing and public affairs. “These are improvements that need to be made. It is creating an environment that we all value.”News of the sought rate hike caused some shoppers at Miller Hill Mall on Monday to lament they’ve been hit by one increase and fee after another in a bad economy, from real estate taxes to new fees for street lighting and sewers.“The average citizen in Duluth is not going to be able to afford an increase like that,” said Sue Siverson of Duluth. “To me it’s bad news. People can absorb a 2 or 3 percent increase, but 20 percent is substantial.”

[hblask 1]

Henry - good news for youThe Duluth News Tribune reported:Minnesota Power is seeking an almost 20 percent increase in rates for its residential customers to cover investments made in cleaner, greener energy.For the average residential customer, that amounts to $13 per month."We know this is unwelcome news at an unwelcome time," said Pat Mullen, the company's vice president of marketing and public affairs. "These are improvements that need to be made. It is creating an environment that we all value."News of the sought rate hike caused some shoppers at Miller Hill Mall on Monday to lament they've been hit by one increase and fee after another in a bad economy, from real estate taxes to new fees for street lighting and sewers."The average citizen in Duluth is not going to be able to afford an increase like that," said Sue Siverson of Duluth. "To me it's bad news. People can absorb a 2 or 3 percent increase, but 20 percent is substantial."

It shouldn't affect me (yet), I'm nowhere near Duluth. I'm actually not opposed to this kind of move in a free market. If there were competitive companies, and one said "See that smokestack bellowing black smoke? That's saving you $13/month!", I'd go with the green company and pay extra. It's a bit more of a problem when it's a government enforced monopoly, but if it were an economically sound move even then it'd be hard to object too much too it.

[Jeepster80125 0]

-1000.Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad.linkThe internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to "national security" concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says: * * That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability. * * That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel. * * That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright. * * Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM)

[Balloon guy 158]

good the interweb has been more trouble than it's worth.Fax machines, cds, dvds and beepers were the maximum needed technology, ever since then it's just been a waste of life and money

[Jeepster80125 0]

More pot talk...Projected Marijuana Tax Revenues:note:* Revenues based on state-by-state marijuana consumption, assuming pot were legalized. Source: Prof. Jeffrey Miron, "Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibitions," June 2005.State Tax Revenue in MillionsCalifornia 105.4New York 65.5Florida 48.2Texas 46.6Ohio 34.8Michigan 32.4Illinois 31.6Pennsylvania 30.5Washington 22.0Virginia 20.9North Carolina 20.6Georgia 19.3New Jersey 19.3Massachusetts 18.4Indiana 17.8Colorado 17.6Missouri 15.6Minnesota 14.3Oregon 14.1Maryland 13.9Wisconsin 13.4Arizona 13.0Louisiana 13.0Tennessee 12.2Kentucky 10.2Connecticut 9.8South Carolina 9.1Alabama 8.9Oklahoma 8.3Nevada 7.9Arkansas 6.7Kansas 6.6Mississippi 6.6Iowa 6.2New Hampshire 5.6Nebraska 5.0New Mexico 4.9Utah 4.7Rhode Island 4.6Maine 4.1West Virginia 4.1Hawaii 4.0Montana 3.6Idaho 3.3Alaska 2.8District of Columbia 2.8Vermont 2.8Delaware 2.4South Dakota 2.0North Dakota 1.6Wyoming 1.2

[CaneBrain 95]

More pot talk...Projected Marijuana Tax Revenues:note:* Revenues based on state-by-state marijuana consumption, assuming pot were legalized. Source: Prof. Jeffrey Miron, "Budgetary Implications of Marijuana Prohibitions," June 2005.State Tax Revenue in MillionsCalifornia 105.4New York 65.5Florida 48.2Texas 46.6Ohio 34.8Michigan 32.4Illinois 31.6Pennsylvania 30.5Washington 22.0Virginia 20.9North Carolina 20.6Georgia 19.3New Jersey 19.3Massachusetts 18.4Indiana 17.8Colorado 17.6Missouri 15.6Minnesota 14.3Oregon 14.1Maryland 13.9Wisconsin 13.4Arizona 13.0Louisiana 13.0Tennessee 12.2Kentucky 10.2Connecticut 9.8South Carolina 9.1Alabama 8.9Oklahoma 8.3Nevada 7.9Arkansas 6.7Kansas 6.6Mississippi 6.6Iowa 6.2New Hampshire 5.6Nebraska 5.0New Mexico 4.9Utah 4.7Rhode Island 4.6Maine 4.1West Virginia 4.1Hawaii 4.0Montana 3.6Idaho 3.3Alaska 2.8District of Columbia 2.8Vermont 2.8Delaware 2.4South Dakota 2.0North Dakota 1.6Wyoming 1.2

Now take these figures of amazingness and add in all the money we would save on police, DEA agents, court costs, jail costs, processing costs, LAWYERS, etc.Nothing could make more sense.....so we will get there by 2030 I am sure.

[CaneBrain 95]

-1000.Secret copyright treaty leaks. It's bad. Very bad.linkThe internet chapter of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, a secret copyright treaty whose text Obama's administration refused to disclose due to "national security" concerns, has leaked. It's bad. It says: * * That ISPs have to proactively police copyright on user-contributed material. This means that it will be impossible to run a service like Flickr or YouTube or Blogger, since hiring enough lawyers to ensure that the mountain of material uploaded every second isn't infringing will exceed any hope of profitability. * * That ISPs have to cut off the Internet access of accused copyright infringers or face liability. This means that your entire family could be denied to the internet -- and hence to civic participation, health information, education, communications, and their means of earning a living -- if one member is accused of copyright infringement, without access to a trial or counsel. * * That the whole world must adopt US-style "notice-and-takedown" rules that require ISPs to remove any material that is accused -- again, without evidence or trial -- of infringing copyright. This has proved a disaster in the US and other countries, where it provides an easy means of censoring material, just by accusing it of infringing copyright. * * Mandatory prohibitions on breaking DRM, even if doing so for a lawful purpose (e.g., to make a work available to disabled people; for archival preservation; because you own the copyrighted work that is locked up with DRM)

Europe, which has much stricter copyright laws (in the sense the original author gets much more protection) than the USA, has probably been pushing for this for a long time.

[strategy 4]

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[vbnautilus 48]

the people opposed to legalizing it are by and large unswayed by any potential tax revenue increases. it's pretty consistent with the demographic if you think about it for a minute.

To be fair, it really does not make sense to legalize something only because the government can make money on it. I think the potential revenue will be a nice side-effect of legalization, but it really is not the reason why it should be legalized.

[Balloon guy 158]

To be fair, it really does not make sense to legalize something only because the government can make money on it. I think the potential revenue will be a nice side-effect of legalization, but it really is not the reason why it should be legalized.

ExactlyThe same argument can be made for not allowing gays to marry.Them filing separate makes more money for the IRS than if they were allowed to file as a married couple.It's the only reason I want them to not be allowed to marry

[Balloon guy 158]

Obama - 15Once again showing that he is a little man trying to fill a big man's shoes

In his first year in office, Barack Obama has visited more foreign countries than any other president. He's touched ground in 16 countries, easily outpacing Bill Clinton (three) and George W. Bush (eleven). It's an itinerary befitting a "citizen of the world."But there's one stop Obama won't make. He has begged off going to Berlin next week to attend ceremonies commemorating the fall of the Berlin Wall. His schedule is reportedly too crowded. John F. Kennedy famously told Berliners, "Ich bin ein Berliner." On the 20th anniversary of the last century's most stirring triumph of freedom, Obama is telling them, "Ich bin beschäftigt" - i.e., I'm busy.~Obama famously made a speech in Berlin during last year's campaign, but at an event devoted to celebrating himself as the apotheosis of world hopefulness. He said of 1989, "a wall came down, a continent came together, and history proved that there is no challenge too great for a world that stands as one."The line was typical Obama verbal soufflé, soaring but vulnerable to collapse upon the slightest jostling from logic or historical fact. The wall came down only after the free world resolutely stood against the Communist bloc. Rather than a warm-and-fuzzy exercise in global understanding, the Cold War was another iteration of the 20th century's long war between totalitarianism and Western liberalism. The West prevailed on the back of American strength.~So Obama huddles with Merkel during her visit to Washington and leaves it at that. An American president will skip events marking the end of a struggle to which we, as a nation - under presidents of both parties - devoted blood and treasure for 50 years. For Barack Obama, 1989 is just another far-away year - and the Democratic party of such men as Harry S. Truman and JFK has never seemed more distant.

Article hereI wonder if this is Obama's way of getting them Germans back for not letting him speak from the Brandenburg Gate during his campaign.They reserve that speaking platform for 'world leaders' and people who have actually done something, so he was not allowed to speak there while on his America is to blame tour of 2008.What a little little man he is

[akoff 0]

Obama - 15Once again showing that he is a little man trying to fill a big man's shoesArticle hereI wonder if this is Obama's way of getting them Germans back for not letting him speak from the Brandenburg Gate during his campaign.They reserve that speaking platform for 'world leaders' and people who have actually done something, so he was not allowed to speak there while on his America is to blame tour of 2008.What a little little man he is

Were there concert shirts made for the tour...I missed them. Next time he yours I think it is going to smaller venues...will less people.