Black And White?

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Mon, 2009-08-10 18:22

Black And White?

Was Bush simply a pantomime villain put on the world stage to prepare for the coming of Obama?

Now all the hype about the new Messiah of American politics has died down the consensus of opinion is simply "Well he's better than Bush."

However, is it simply the same old same old with a make over?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peter-daou/are-democrats-determined_b_2554...

Mon, 2009-08-10 18:27

chuck

My feeling is that there's been an improvement in the language but the basics haven't changed. All the fuss about health care is just anger about changing demographics.

Mon, 2009-08-10 18:45

Mangone

I'm sure you're right Chuck. What really interests me is the coincidence of the perfect timing of the economic crisis right at the end of W's second term! Most of the promises made by Obama seem somehow empty now and the excuse that the economy needs those who brought it to its knees doesn't seem to explain why they weren't forced to continue in their jobs and do them well on pain of forfeiting their previous bonuses. What was Obama's campaign motto? I can't seem to remember. Mind you, I suppose it's easy to talk but hard to get people to listen. Even if you're the world's most powerful man (in theory) you have your work cut out if the system is against you. No doubt a lot of those in positions of power were put there by people who oppose Obama and it will take a long time to gain their cooperation.

Mon, 2009-08-10 19:06

chuck

Well I am occasionally wrong :) Seems like the financial crisis started with cheap mortgages. That's probably the way history will see it. But someone knew it couldn't last forever. I believe in the old adage 'Watch what they do, not what they say' So far it's hard to see much difference between Bush and Obama....apart from the obvious physical differences. Change you can believe in.

Mon, 2009-08-10 22:46

Mangone

A friend of mine told me of the coming economic crisis almost a year before it struck... I'm sure a lot of others knew too! The point is it wasn't until Bush and Paulson announced it that most people took any notice :O) Thinking back do you really believe that the Republicans really made any serious effort to beat Obama, Chuck? As for fixing the banking system... Bank Bonuses Far Exceeded Profits: Several Bailed-Out Banks' Bonuses Topped Their Net Income in 2008 http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/07/30/business/main5197668.shtml

Mon, 2009-08-10 23:14

chuck

I think McCain and Palin were serious for sure but they looked like caricatures. The GOP base stayed steady at around 25% but swing voters were just sick of the Republicans. People wanted change.

Tue, 2009-08-11 10:50

bobblehat2023

Well, it's particularly bizarre to describe opponents of health care reform as un-American on the basis that - as far as I know - there's no other democratic country that could afford to support universal healthcare coverage (whether a socialised system such as the NHS or a part-socialised, part-compulsory insurance model like as they have in much of Europe) that currently chooses not to have it. Opposing universal health seems to be an almost uniquely American idea.

Tue, 2009-08-11 14:23

Ewan

Footsie, nobody heard the little boy, but he was right.... the king is in the altogether, the altogether he´s altogether as... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ZYzbkk5X4M

Author Page at the 'Zon

Wed, 2009-08-12 15:16

Mangone

FTSE - My point is that maybe there was a plan and that's why Bush 'announced' the pending collapse when he did. If you remember all the effort that went into getting 'W' into power in the first place (the film is interesting) and re-elected then it seems even stranger that he was content to finish with the Republican Party in such disarray - unless that was the plan. Maybe other people who have lived amongst humans for as long as you realised that the only way to do anything useful about Global Warming was to cause a crash...

Wed, 2009-08-12 16:21

#10

chuck

I think the problems with Fannie May and Freddy Mac started as early as 1999. The Fed lowered interest rates dramatically in 2001. Maybe they thought easy credit was a way out....they were wrong. Perhaps the idea was to get the GOP re-elected but Bush was a gonner anyway.

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